


Prince meets Princess

by Drakuhound1997



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, In-Canon, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Sad Backstory, sort of slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 38,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27819199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakuhound1997/pseuds/Drakuhound1997
Summary: A tale as old as time, where a prince of a far away kingdom falls in love with the princess of another. Zeke and Mòrag have known each other for quite some time, but how do they feel about each other? Originally a pre-canon one-shot based on the Heart-to-Heart "Constants", this will spread beyond that point into the main story and afterwards.(Update: Now with an easier to read format.)
Relationships: Zeke von Genbu/Meleph | Mòrag Ladair
Comments: 18
Kudos: 31





	1. Captured

“Look at what you got us into, Zeke!” a female Blade with light bulbs, Pandoria exclaimed.

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault the guards thought we were suspicious!” the young man running with her, Zeke said.

Zeke and Pandoria have been traveling around Alrest ever since Zeke was kicked out of his home country, Tantal, by his father. Tantal is an isolationist country: no one goes in, no one goes out. Zeke, being the rebellious teen he is, decided to explore the outside world, first making his stop in Gormott, realizing not everything had to be covered in snow. Word about Zeke’s visit came to King Eulogimenos, he was furious, disowning his son due to fear of people wanting to find Genbu. This was two years ago, when Zeke was 15.

Now a 17 year old, Zeke and Pandoria were taking a trip to Alba Cavanich in Mor Ardain, only to find themselves in a lot of trouble.

“Get back here!” yelled one of the soldiers, First Lieutenant Padraig.

“Pandy! Can’t you do something?!” Zeke begged her.

“Yeah, and get us into even more trouble?! No thanks!” his Blade retorted. The two finally reached a dead end in an alley.

“Alright, don’t do anything funny, and we’ll take you in nice and easy. How’s that?” demanded Padraig.

“Uhh, fine. Just get this over with,” Zeke complained. “Well you certainly didn’t put up much of a fight,” Padraig said as he put the cuffs on both Driver and Blade.

“Believe me, chum. If you knew who I was and we got in a brawl, you will be jolly sorry you ever dared cross me,” Zeke told him.

“Yea, yea. You can tell that to the Emperor. I bet you’re one of those Torna thugs, hoping one of your buddies can bust you out.” Zeke glared at the soldier. “Don’t you ever compare me to those heritage stealing bastards, ever again, you got that?!” he yelled at Padraig. “I-I’m so sorry!” said the shocked Ardainian. He had no idea just how much that meant to him.

* * *

At Hardhaigh Palace, Emperor Alastair Ardanach saw the young man and his Blade before him. He was in his 50’s, with his hair starting to become gray. “So, what did you do, sir? There has to be a good reason you were causing trouble in Alba Cavanich,” asked the emperor.

“I’ll have you know, Pandoria and I were just minding our own business, taking a look around the shops in the market. Then, one of your guys thought is was a good idea and hound me,” said the prince.

“Hmm, I see. Now, Zeke, is it? You’re not from around here, are you?”

“You’re right. And if you jail me, your country will have hell to pay,” Zeke threatened.

“Silence! Don’t you dare talk to me like that. You’re probably just a ruffian looking for something to steal.”

“F-father?” a small voice called.

“Hmm, Niall? What brings you here?” Alastair asked his son.

Niall was only eight years old. Much like his father, he had bright blue eyes. “Um, I just want to ask the man who he is. If that’s ok.” His father gave it a thought and came to the conclusion this would be good practice for his successor. “Alright, you may ask your question.”

“Thank you, Father,” the boy said. “I am Niall Ardanach, Prince of Mor Ardain. What’s your name?”

Zeke was surprise by how polite he is in comparison to his father. “My name is Zeke. Or, rather, that’s my nickname. My real name is Ozychlyrus Brounev Tantal, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Tantal. I was abandoned by my father for wanting to explore the outside world and try to bring change to my home,” he told him.

“Tantal? As in THAT Tantal?” exclaimed the Emperor.

“The one and only one on Genbu. I’m surprised you know about us,” said Zeke.

“My apologies, Your Highness. If you’d like, we can compensate for this unfortunate accident,” the emperor suggested.

“Let’s see… Sure, why not? You’re ok with that, right Pandoria?” Zeke asked his Blade. “We’ve been camping out in the wilderness and the occasional inn, so I’m ok with this.” “Splendid, I’m actually curious how Tantal is doing. I've heard that the weather there isn't the best, is it?" _Oh, you've got no idea,_ thought Zeke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -We never got name for the previous Ardainian Emperor, so I went with Alastair, considering it's the Scottish form of Alexander, which means "defender of the people". Also Alexander the Great of ancient Greece.  
> -As I mentioned in the summary, this was originally a one-shot taking place when Zeke and Mòrag were younger when they first met. But I decided to make this a small story taking place before, during, and after the main XB2 story.  
> -I like to think Niall is older than he looks, just hasn't hit a growth spurt yet in XB2. I do think he's a little older than Rex


	2. A Duel and a Story.

After talking about Tantal with the emperor, Zeke decided to go into the training yard. There he meets a young woman, 18, sparing with a Blade armed with a katana. _Who’s she?_ thought Zeke. _She’s kind of cute._

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” said the prince.

“Hmm?” “Focus, Lady Mòrag. You need to focus on your training,” said another Blade with long purple-blue hair.

“Aegaeon, let’s stop for a moment,” said Mòrag. _Why is this strange man doing here? He doesn’t look like an Ardainian, so he’s definitely not a suitor._

“Are you sure?” asked the Water Blade.

“Yes, I’m certain.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Aegaeon puts away his sword, as Mòrag walked up to the stranger. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I am Zeke von Genbu, Bringer of Chaos!” he overexaggerates.

“Yeah, I have my doubts,” said Mòrag, unamused by his antics.

“What? No? Fine. My name is Zeke. I’m that prince your dad almost tried to jail,” he explained.

“First of all, His Majesty is not my father, he is my uncle. Second of all, why are you still doing here?” said Mòrag. She wasn’t thrilled by the stranger barging in the middle of her practice.

“Well I was on my out, but I decided to take a little tour of the palace. Besides, isn’t this place open part of the time?”

“Fine,” Mòrag sighed. “But if you’re going to be here, at least spare with me.”

“I don’t know, I don’t want to hurt a pretty face like yo-“ “Say that again. Are you saying you won’t fight me because I am a woman?” Mòrag pointed one of her training swords at the Prince. “What, no! Uh, umm... Ok, fine. I’ll spare with you. What can I use?”

“Aegaeon.” “Yes, my lady,” he replied. He went to grab a training sword for Zeke. This one was larger, more broadsword like, as apposed to Mòrag’s dual blades.

“Right, that’s what I like to see. Just like Pandoria’s weapon,” said Zeke.

“Pandoria? Who is she?” asked Mòrag.

“If you win, I’ll tell you. But don’t think I’m going to go easy on you!"

“Fine, we’ll see about that.”

Mòrag swung her swords in a spinning motion, which Zeke blocked with his sword. Zeke pushes her away. “Well, you’re quite skilled, I’ll give you that,” said Mòrag.

Zeke lunges at her with his sword, causing her to dodge swiftly. “Hehe, not bad yourself, princess.”

Mòrag began her assault once more, with the two trading blows. Finally the two stood there facing each other, catching their breaths. Suddenly, they both collapsed on the ground, not wanting to go anymore.

“Phew, I have to say, Mòrag, right? You certainly know your stuff when it comes to fighting,” said Zeke, using his sword to prop himself up.

“You know, Zeke. I think I know why you’ve got a great sense for swordsmanship. Pandoria, is she your Blade?” Mòrag said as she got back up.

“Yeah, I’m guessing these two with you are your Blades, right?” Mòrag shook her head. “Brighid is my Blade. Aegaeon is His Majesty’s Blade. Though I don’t think that will be for long,” she said quietly. “You… want to talk about it?” asked Zeke. She nods.

* * *

Zeke and Mòrag got themselves together, putting away most of the training equipment and grabbing some water to cool themselves off. Brighid and Aegaeon left the training field to attend their duties, leaving Zeke and Mòrag alone.

“So, as you know, the Emperor is my uncle. My father is his brother-in-law, Eandraig Ladair. When I was little, my parents passed away. I was with my aunt and uncle when the news arrived. Assassins, who were against the imperial family and their extension. They were from Gormott.”

“Wait, why there?” asked Zeke.

“As you might know, Gormott was annexed by Mor Ardain. Not everyone there was happy about the results, so there were plots to bring back their freedom. Unfortunately, my father was involved in the plans to take control of Gormott, so he certainly had a target on his head. While the murders were caught, there wasn’t anyway for my parents to come back.”

Mòrag was on the verge of crying. “Mòrag, I’m so sorry,” comforted Zeke.

“So because at the time I was the youngest member of the royal family, I was chosen to become the nations first ruling Empress. His Majesty may come off as strict, but he does have a caring side. My uncle and aunt tried a lot for a child. But by some miracle, they managed to have Niall. My aunt passed on during childbirth, leaving my uncle a widower. Since then, I’ve been training to become Niall’s Special Inquisitor, hoping that, one day, I can become his shield. The reason I’m concerned that His Majesty doesn’t have much time left is due to his illness. You noticed how he has difficulty walking, right?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m guessing that’s a symptom of it.”

“Correct,” said Mòrag. “He has a disease that’s slowly paralyzing him. Eventually he’ll be in a wheelchair, and then gone by the next week. I wished… Niall didn’t have to go through any of this.”

“I wished none of that happened to any of you,” said Zeke. Mòrag smiled, appreciating the sentiment.

She looks at Zeke. “What about you? What’s your story?”

Zeke puts his hand against his chin. “Me? Well, where do I start? I was the only child of my parents. As you kind of figured out, Zeke’s not my real name. It’s Ozychlyrus, but eh, not everyone can say or spell it write outside of Tantal. I’ve got plenty of cousins, but it’s not really the same as having a close cousin like you do, honestly. I always wanted to see the outside world. So, I decided to take a peak out in Gormott when our Titans were close enough. Stowed away on one of the black market boats. When I came back, I found out my mum passed on, leaving behind her Blade’s Core Crystal.”

“So I’m guessing Pandoria was…”

“Yes, she was my mum’s Blade. Tantal used to have a family heirloom like Mor Ardain’s Jewels, but they were sealed away after going berserk a long time ago. Pandoria was the Blade of my mum’s family, who traditionally were in charge of directing the pathway of Genbu. Dad started dating her after they met, and eventually got married. But, my mother got sick pretty easily, particularly in the winter. Her last case was bad enough that it would be her final slumber.

"Her death really changed my old man. He used to be so… jolly and carefree. He was honestly the best dad in the world. But, after he found out about my escapade, he banished me in a fit of rage. It was at that point I already resonated with Pandy, who together with me, were the only things of her that remained. I feel like, deep down, my dad still misses me. Two years later, here we are,” Zeke finished his story.

“Well, I guess we’re kind of the same. We both had to grow up fast,” said Mòrag.

“You can say that again,” said Zeke. The two of them sat together, sharing stories about life from those points onward, with Mòrag going into depths about her military training. Meanwhile, Zeke shared all of his adventures both on and outside Tantal, which made Mòrag laugh about some of his experiences with bad luck.

* * *

“…Luckily for us, we managed to escape those Ignas, all thanks to a new technique I came up with: Dynamic Spark Sword,” Zeke finished this tale.

“I still can’t believe you managed to survive that. One hundred Ignas is no small army, but it’s still a lot for one man and his Blade,” said Mòrag.

“You’ve got that right,” he replied. They remained a little quiet for a bit, before Zeke asked her a question. “Say, Mòrag, can you promise me something?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“After I leave, promise me that we’ll see each other again, alright?”

“Well, since you don’t have anything going on, I’m sure it would be easy for you to drop by every once in a while. Though, I think my schedule may become more busy as I advance through the military,” said Mòrag.

“What a shame. But you’ll have time off every now and then, right?”

_Is… is he hitting on me?!_ thought Mòrag. “I-I umm… I think so, yeah.”

Zeke had to adjust his glasses to see if he’s seeing things right. _She’s… blushing. Does she have a crush on me?_ he thought.

_Oh no, he noticed! Damn it, it’s obvious…_ she thought.

“You ok there, Mòrag?” Zeke asked.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Hey, umm… Zeke?”

“What?” “So hypothetically, what if the prince and princess of two nations started dating, but there is a third nation that doesn’t like one of them. So what do they do?”

“Well, let’s see. They should probably keep it a secret, then. If we can stop the tension between Mor Ardain and Uraya, maybe we can have some peace, don’t you say?” Zeke winks at her.

“Oh, so you kind of figured it out…”

“Oh don’t worry. Ol’ Zeke here might be a loudmouth, but he’s really good at keeping secrets,” said another voice.

“P-pandy?! How long have you been standing there?!” said a startled Zeke.

“Let’s see… how about ‘So as you know, the Emperor is my uncle.’”

“So as you…” Zeke wondered for a moment.

“That’s the whole conversation!” he and Mòrag said in unison.

“Hehe, I got a little tired of waiting on my Prince, so I decided to see what this cute couple was up to.”

“We… we’re not a-“ “Don’t lie, Zeke. But, don’t worry, you can keep this secret of your safe with your big sis,” she says cutting him off. Now Zeke is the one getting flustered.

“Haha,” Mòrag started to laugh.

“Well, it’s rare for someone to make Lady Mòrag laugh like this,” another female voice said.

“B-Brighid?!” “And yes, I was hanging out with Pandoria. We exchanged stories about ourselves and our Drivers before stopping by, and I have to say, she’s right about you two,” teased Brighid.

“Uhh!” Mòrag covers her face with Zeke’s training sword in embarrassment. “Alright, we’ll stop. It’s getting late, so rest up a bit you too. Especially you, Zeke,” Pandoria reminded him. “I guess she’s right. Goodnight, Mòrag,” said Zeke. “Goodnight, Ozychlyrus.” Hearing her say his true name, he smiled and went to the guest room.

* * *

“Well, we’re off. It was nice staying here for the past couple of days, but I do think we should be hitting the road,” Zeke said having all his stuff together.

“You’re leaving already? It’s not even lunchtime, yet,” said Mòrag.

“I know, but I still need to train harder. I need to learn the ins and outs of Alrest, you know. Besides, don’t you got a mission as well?” Zeke points out.

“Yes, I know what I have to do. I have to become stronger. Just because I have one of the strongest Blades as my companion, doesn’t mean I don’t have room to grow,” said Mòrag.

“You’re darn right.”

“Zeeeke! Hurry up already! We’re going to miss the boat ride to Leftheria!” said Pandoria.

“I know, Pandy! Just give me a moment,” her Driver responds.

“Zeke, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will be safe in the wilderness,” said the princess. “I will. Here’s to a jolly bright future for the two of us!” Zeke promised. “ZEKE! NOW!” “Alright, alright! You don’t have to shout at me!” He starts to walk out onto the bridge. "Take care, Mòrag!” “You too, Zeke!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I kind of thought about Aegaeon being the previous Emperor's Blade prior to his death.  
> -Mòrag probably wanted to work her way up to her current position in Xenoblade 2, just to show she was fit for the role and wasn't granted the position because she's family.  
> -We know Zeke wears contacts, so I like to think he used to wear glasses when he was younger.  
> -Mòrag and Zeke don't really mention their parents/mother respectively, so I decided to give some reasons why they were absent in the XB2 story, along with the previous Emperor.  
> -Mòrag is always the competitive type, so of course the only reason she originally wanted Zeke to stay was to practice fighting.  
> -I always kind of saw Mòrag being a year older or younger than Zeke. It's implied they are around the same age, so I went with this.  
> -I don't seem to recall if Pandoria is the equivalent of the Jewels of Mor Ardain or not, but I do know Herald was the Blade of one of Zeke's ancestors, according to one of her and Zeke's post battle dialogue.  
> -I have doubts that Niall or Mòrag were involved in the decision to go to war with Gormott, considering that the Gormotti War happened when they were still kids (well a teen in Mòrag's case), and the process of taking over Gormott started 50 years prior to Pyra's reawakening. Not to mention there's quite a few in the Ardainian Senate that are pro-war...


	3. Titles

3 years later...

It was a bright and sunny day outside in Torigoth. Mòrag decided to take a trip into town, seeing what was available. It was one of those rare opportunities for her to relax and enjoy herself. To avoid gaining public attention, she dressed up in a different outfit from her usual uniform. A sun hat, her hair down, and a navy blue skirt were enough to differentiate herself from her formal attire. After buying a drink from Café Savvy, she takes a stop at one of the tables outside the inn. She grabs a paper to check up what’s happening in the public eye of Alrest.

“Hmm, so Bana is now the chairman of Argentum. It’s interesting how this Nopon merchant from Mor Ardain quickly became the head of such a renowned Trade Guild,” said Mòrag as she read the paper.

“Excuse me, miss. I heard you were talking about the new chairman. Do you mind if I join as well?” a male voice asked.

“Sure,” she said behind the paper. “So I’ve heard that Bana’s got some shady deals going on,” the voice said. This caught Mòrag’s attention. “Really now? And where did you get that information?” “Seriously, Mòrag? Who do you think helped catch those Lindwurm goons for your soldiers the other week?”

_Wait a moment…_ Mòrag moved the newspaper to find a somewhat familiar face. “Please don’t say my name in public. There are still some Gormotti that don’t particularly like us. And… do I know you, sir?”

The man siting across from her had on a tattered jacket, a series of belts around his lower torso, and an eyepatch with a turtle on it. “Do I really need to do this? Let’s see if this jogs your memory a bit. Do you remember our promise?”

Realizing who he was, she whispered, “Zeke?” “The one and only Zekenator you know. Miss me?” he grinned.

“A little bit. It's been a while since we've last met," she reminded him.

"Let's see, three years, now?" Zeke asked. She nods.

"People have been talking about you as of late,” she told him.

“Really? What are they saying?”

“There’s not much about it, except there have been reports of a man and girl wrapped in lightning quickly coming to save people on various occasions, though that pair often finds themselves getting into trouble after the fact,” Mòrag informs him.

“Oh, so you’ve heard about some of that…”

“Yes, the tales of Thunderbolt Zeke and his ridiculous bad luck,” she teased. “Getting hit by Titans, angering an Arachno nest, almost getting eaten by an Aligo…”

“Yeah, you can stop with the- wait, did you say Thunderbolt Zeke?!” He raised one of his eyebrows. “Wow, that’s awesome! Say, people are also saying things about you too, you know?”

“I would rather not hear Uraya talk about me in bad taste,” she said. She wasn’t all that keen on what people are saying her, as she liked to keep things to herself.

‘Would you be surprised if it was the opposite?”

“…Go on.”

“They’re calling you the Flamebringer. Actually everyone is. I mean, you stopped a bloody Mammut from going berserk at one of Mor Ardain’s factories. Or what about that time you successfully prevented Brionac from starting a war between Mor Ardain and Uraya in Temperantia? You took out the leader of that operation, and now they’re all scattered, all thanks to you and Brighid.”

Mòrag gave one of her half-smiles. _To think the nation that hates our country thinks that highly of me? Although, His Majesty has only heard good things coming from Queen Raqura about me, so I’m not entirely shocked the rest of her country fell in line._ “That is very kind of them. By the way, where is Pandoria, anyway?”

“Oh her? She decided to sleep in. We just got done with a quest in Gormott. Just had to go and gather some plants for one of the botanists here,” he says.

“I’m surprised you even took up some of the easier jobs,” she replied.

"Hey! A little helping hand is good for anyone, you know? Besides, it was in a more dangerous part of Gormott. Don’t want to get anyone else in danger.”

“Oh, I understand. I know too well about doing the little things. I used to do some of the smaller jobs before everyone else took me seriously,” she reminisced.

“Didn’t it happen when someone asked you if-‘”

“Yes, and I broke his arm in retaliation. Since then, the men in my old unit made a note not to ask me if I can sleep with them.”

“Well they got what was coming for them. You’re like one of the toughest people I know,” said Zeke.

“Wouldn’t you be your own toughest person, considering just how much you teeter on the line of death?”

“Point made. Anyhow, is Brighid around?”

“She's in Torigoth, though she's not nearby. She’s currently lecturing some of the newer recruits about our principles.”

“Ah, I see. Well if you see her, tell her we had a little chat,” he said. “Are you leaving?” Mòrag asked.

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. Got another boat ride to Indol. There’s a job there in one of the forests. The client didn’t really give a description for it, but I’ll-“

“Zeke, I can’t help but feel this is too dangerous,” worried Mòrag.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly fine. You said it yourself, I keep on getting lucky against the fight with death,” he reassured her.

“Can you at least tell me who your client is?” she asked.

“I don’t know his first name, but his last name is Fernsby.”

_Where have I heard that name before...?_ Mòrag thought. “Alright. I’ll look into it. I wish you safe travels, for both you and Pandoria. Don’t forget my promise, got it?”

“I will. You keep on doing what you do best.”

He started to walk off, before Mòrag stopped him. “I have one more question. Is the eyepatch for-“

“Don’t worry, Flamebringer. It’s just so my vision doesn’t get bad. While helping those in need is good and all, you don’t really get a whole lot of money for some contacts, now do you?” he said revealing his left eye.

“Hmm, I suppose not. You aren’t exactly running off a military budget.”

“Bah. How it feels to still have the support of your family and country,” Zeke scoffs. “I’m sorry.” “Eh, no worries. Besides, I think I’ve got a good life going for me. Anyway, see you around!” He waves goodbye as he walks back to the inn. “Goodbye, Zeke,” Mòrag said. _Please, be safe._

* * *

“Lady Mòrag, what are you doing?” asked Brighid. Mòrag was busy looking through a pile of books.

“I’m currently looking through a registry list,” her Driver replied. “

A list of what, exactly?”

“Criminals.”

Brighid raises an eyebrow. “Did something come up?”

Mòrag took her gaze away from the book she was reading. “…Yes. I ran into… an old friend.”

“They didn’t do anything wrong, did they?”

“What, no! He would never.” Mòrag quickly covered her mouth.

“He? Lady Mòrag, I don’t recall you having many male friends, other than people in government and in the military. Don’t tell me you’ve been sneaking off without me? I would have loved to meet them. What’s he like?” she teased.

“Brighid, it was the one time. I haven’t seen him in forever. Besides, I did not go to him. Rather, he came to me.”

Brighid puts her arm on Mòrag’s shoulder. “Looks like my little phoenix found herself a lover.”

“Brighid! We… are not dating. He just felt like checking up on me and telling me what his plans were. He’s heading to Indol for a job he doesn’t know much about other than his client’s surname.” Mòrag’s face was getting a little red, not wanting to reveal she still has feelings for Zeke.

“So you’re looking up their name just to make sure the job he’s doing isn’t shady. How admirable,” Brighid said as she smiled. “What’s the name?”

“It’s Fernsby.”

Brighid opened her eyes. “Lady Mòrag, we just got a report talking about a Fernsby. It’s Razelo Fernsby, the same one that was in Temperantia.”

_Shit!_ thought Mòrag. “So, somehow he survived that encounter… What did the report said about him?”

“According to our spies in Indol, he was last seen in Bloomweather Forest, along with five of his men. They appear to be luring Drivers so that they can kill them and steal their Core Crystals.”

Mòrag’s face was filled with dread. “We… we have to go! They’re in danger!”

“Are you going to continue beating around the bush as to who ‘he’ is?” said Brighid.

Mòrag couldn't hide who it was and told her, “…It’s Zeke. He and Pandoria have taken on a job from Fernsby. If it looks like Mor Ardain killed the Crown Prince of Tantal…” Brighid was concerned about the situation. “Lady Mòrag, we need to contact our soldier there. They need to get there to stop this madness at once.” “Right, turn the ethercast on. We need to tell Captain Ewan what the situation is….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Well, here's our first timeskip. Zeke and Mòrag have certainly made a name for themselves at this point for both of their efforts.  
> -The botanist in question is supposed to be Cedric.  
> -I'll admit, it was fun coming up with scenarios for the two of them, especially Zeke.  
> -Mòrag going incognito makes sense around this time as tension between some Gormotti and the Ardainians is still a little high, whereas in XB2, they've kind of chilled out (at least, most of the ones in Torigoth).  
> -Brighid comes across as someone who really cares about those close to her, as well as someone that wants to know what's going in their lives.  
> -The "little phoenix" comment from Brighid is inspired by how Urbosa calls Zelda "little bird" in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Age of Calamity.  
> -Do we know what the communication device Bana and Dughall used is called? Ethercast sounds right, but I'm not 100% sure.  
> -Here comes some drama. Considering this is set in the past, you might have an idea as to what's about to happen...


	4. An Ambush and a Rescue

A week later….

In Indol, Zeke and Pandoria were walking with Fernsby and his grunts. They were in Bloomweather Forest, so named due to how its trees never seem to change when fall and winter arrive. The forest was lined with all kinds of trees of varying colors.

“Say uh, Fernsby old fella. What exactly are we doing?”

“I tell you when we get there. For now, just enjoy the beauty of Indol. Probably a good place for a nap, maybe,” he said. He wasn’t half wrong. Many people have taken a nap in these woods; unfortunately, they were mainly people he lured here.

_What a bunch of suckers. To think that the prodigal son of the king of Tantal was left all by himself. Just more land for Mor Ardain to conquer. Tantal is old news; especially in comparison to those Titan weapons the Ardainians were digging up,_ Fernsby thought. He giggles a bit at the shear thought of Mor Ardain going into a three-way war.

“Umm, you alright,” Zeke interrupted.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Here we are,” he told him as they arrived on the spot. Fernsby had burn scars on his left side, a mark of someone that survived the Flamebringer. He was now blind in his left eye, scarred by Mòrag’s whipswords.

“Now what do we have going on here, chum?”

“Hehehe, that’s simple, my friend… Men!” The five soldiers around Zeke drew their weapons.

“What the hell?! Are you bloody mad?!”

“Oh, I’m mad alright. Mad at the Ardainian bitch that burned me half to death! She’s going to have Morytha to pay!”

_Mòrag?_ Zeke thought. “No, I won’t let you!” Zeke roared as he spun his sword around him, knocking the soldiers off their feet.

“You’re pretty good, but can you dodge this!” Fernsby shot a blast of water from his palms, forcing Zeke and Pandoria to dodge.

“What the-?! What are you?!”

Fernsby lowered his collar to reveal a red and blue gem imbedded in his chest: the hallmarks of a Flesh-Eater. “Don’t you get it? I’m one of those half-breeds. Fernsby’s not even my name. It’s my Driver’s, see? I am… Sterben. I’m one of the higher ups in Brionac’s Blade! A Flesh-Eater!” He then summons his weapons, a pair of Rocket Maces. Zeke has never seen a weapon like that before, let alone a Flesh-Eater. One of the maces sprung at Zeke, knocking him backwards.

“My Prince!” Pandoria shouted.

“I’m fine, Pandy. Let’s focus on the fight,” the prince told her. “Yeeaaahh!” Zeke rushes at his opponent. Sterben then creates a sphere of water to halt his asssualt.

“Guh!”

“Here, let me do it! Electric Circus!” cried Pandoria. Grabbing Zeke’s sword, she used her electrical powers to spin the blade around the bubble, striking Sterben.

“Grrr, I’m going to drown you in a watery grave! Neptunian Eclipse!” A surge of water formed an arena around them. The Brionac soldiers already fled the scene, knowing that they would be caught in the crossfire of the three fighters.

“Pandy, now’s our chance!”

“Right!”

“Sonic… Thunderslash!” they said in unison. They struck the enemy with a flurry of slashes, pushing him into the wall of water behind him. The electricity from their sword traveled throughout the water wall, shocking the Flesh-Eater.

“I’m not gonna… lose!!” He punches them with his mace, sending them careening towards the opposite side of the arena. Sterben was in the water longer, with the full effect of the storm surge frying him inside out. Then, the water fell and his Core Crystal shattered. “Auuggghhh! Damn… you…” Sterban fell to the ground face first.

“Huff… huff… We.. we did it,” said Zeke, worn out by the fight. He then falls on his back. “Zeke!”

Three hours later…

“Lady Mòrag! We’ve rounded up the terrorists. We found their leader dead, with signs of a battle between them. There was drowned grass and scorched trees, like they were struck by lightning!”

_It has to be him…_ “Did you find anyone else there, Captain Ewan?” asked Mòrag.

“Negative, ma’am. The rebels claim that their leader killed the Prince, but we are currently looking for his whereabouts.”

Mòrag stared off into the distance. Mòrag was worried about what happened to him. _Zeke, just where are you?_

* * *

At the Praetorium, Zeke find himself awake in a white and gold room on top of a comfortably bed. _Uhh, where… am I? This doesn’t look like any inn I’ve been to._ “Wait a second! Pandoria! Where are you? I’ve got to- gah!” Zeke reeled back, still sore from the fight against Sterben.

“Take it easy, Your Highness. You still have a while to recover,” an older voice said.

“Who are you?”

The owner of the voice walked into the door. A tall Indoline man dressed in divine clothing. “My name is Amalthus. You were gravely injured from your fight with that Flesh-Eater. So, I had to hurry and save both you and your Blade,” Amalthus said kindly.

“That’s nice of you, but uh, how do you know who I am?” Zeke asked.

“Words about the rebellious Prince of Tantal have traveled far and wide. Tales of how you valiantly defend the weak and powerless. And there is another reason…”

“Hmm?” “Oh, nothing. Anyway, the wounds you suffered did critical damage to your heart, so I had to implant part of Pandoria’s Core Crystal in you.”

Zeke looks down to find the triangular piece of crystal embedded on his left side. “So, is Pandoria going to be alright?”

“She’s doing just fine. She actually woke up earlier.”

Zeke sighs in relief. “Phew. I was worried there for a second.”

“But, there is a catch. In the event that you die, so will her,” the Praetor explains.

“Oh, so I guess… I’m her final Driver.” He looks out the window.

“By the way, do you know where we are?”

“You are at the Praetorium.”

Zeke’s eyes dilate. “So, does that make you a member of the church?”

“Oh, I am not just a member of the Church of Indol. I am the Praetor himself.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised.” “I get that sometimes. When you recover, you are free to go as you please,” Amalthus told him.

_I can’t help but feel like I got to make up for his kindness_ , Zeke pondered. “Say, Amalt- no wait, Praetor. Do you mind if I repay your gratitude?”

“Amalthus is fine. The word ‘praetor’ is merely a title. Nothing more, nothing less. And you are more than welcome to help around here,” he said as he was leaving.

2 days later…

“Your Highness? May I come in?” a woman’s voice came from outside the door.

“You can.”

“Thank you,” the girl said as she opened the door. She had long brown hair and golden eyes. She carried a crosier and had a triangular Core Crystal in the center of her chest. “My name if Fan la Norne. I’m the Praetor’s Blade.”

“I never took him to be a Driver. So what do you need?” asked Zeke.

“You are free to leave your room and look around Indol as you please.”

“Thank you. I’m sure Pandoria is missing me a lot.” “She is. Anyway, I hope you do well,” she said with a bow. “You too, Fan,” said Zeke, getting himself together. He joins Pandoria, who was waiting for him at Seoris Plaza.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault,” Zeke apologized to Pandoria.

She shook her head. “Actually, I’m glad.”

“What? Why?”

“Knowing that a part of me is keeping you alive… I dunno, it’s just nice.”

Zeke looked at her with a smile. “Pandy…”

“What is it?”

Zeke knew she didn’t know what he was about to tell her. “I’m going to be your final Driver.”

Pandoria’s face lit up. _I… I don’t have to worry about losing my memories with Zeke!_ she reflected. “I… I can’t tell you how happy I am!” she told him.

“I knew you would like the news. I will say, if I kick the bucket, so will you.”

“That’s fine. As long as I can cherish these memories for the remainder of our lives, that’s ok with me.”

"Well then, I guess I'm ok with it too. Say why don't we pay back the Praetor?" Zeke asked. "Sure. I go where you go, after all." "Alright, let's turn around and tell him we're staying for a bit." _Hmm, I wonder how Mòrag would react. That being said, we need to get stronger. I don’t want to face her again until I know I can live up to her skill_ , her Driver thought.

* * *

_Were… were we too late? We still haven’t found him, but there isn’t anything that suggests he’s dead._ Mòrag was busy thinking to herself on the way back to Mor Ardain.

“Lady Mòrag, you’ve been awfully quiet this whole trip. Is Zeke’s whereabouts troubling you?”

Mòrag turns to face her Blade. “Nothing really gets by you, Brighid. I am worried about Zeke. Do you… mind if we talk about this in private?”

“Not at all, my lady.”

The two remained silent for the rest of the trip until they reached Hardhaigh Palace. Niall saw the look on her face, defeated, and decided not to immediately greet her until she was up to it.

“Now what is it do you wish to tell me?” Brighid asked.

“So you know how I was worried we might go to war with Tantal if it looked like we killed him? That wasn’t the main reason I was worried…” Mòrag confessed. “I… I love him.”

Brighid gave it a moment, and then she smiled. “So even after all this time, you still like him. And here I thought you have gotten over him. Three years is a long time to love someone that’s not guaranteed to come back to you,” she commented.

“And yet, he still came to me. I relate to him, living in a world where we had to become an adult quickly,” Mòrag replied. “He’s actually real sweet when he wants to be. His swordsmanship was different from anyone else’s, but it just suits him. He never likes to turn down someone in need, even if it means he’ll get hurt in the process. He’s not like those suitors that only saw me as a mean of advancing in society.”

Brighid has vivid memories of those men. They only cared about power and prolonging their family line. One instance had Brighid having to set someone’s gift on fire just because of how he acted towards her Driver. “You’re right. I still remember when he quickly apologized when you offered a duel with him. I think that’s the other thing that sets him apart from the others. You knew how they fought and easily overwhelmed them, even these days. But Zeke wasn’t from Mor Ardain, so he was entirely new to you.”

_When you think mentioned that, you’re right. Was I checking him out when I thought he was doing the same to me?_ Mòrag wondered.

“And besides, while Zeke is very unlucky most of the time, he still manages to cling on to life, no matter how hard things get,” her Blade said.

“You’re right, Brighid. I shouldn’t lose hope yet.” _Please, prove me right… Ozychlyrus Tantal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -And here's the origin story for how Zeke became a Blade-Eater. Considering part of Pandoria's Core Crystal had be inserted because his heart took a lot of damage, I like to think it's because Zeke himself got electrocuted. This caused his heart to not function properly, leaving him at the brink of death had Amalthus not step in.  
> -Sterben's name comes from the German word for "to die", referencing both how many people he's killed for Brionac and how he's a one-off character that literally only exists in this chapter.  
> -As I hinted at in the second chapter, I imagine there were many men in Mor Ardain that tried to win Mòrag's heart. Of course, she wasn't particularly interested in them, since she was focused on her job and views relationships, familial, romantic, or otherwise, as invading her duty as Special Inquisitor. Zeke is that one exception.  
> -You know, for who is essentially the Pope of Alrest, Amalthus is kind of casual when it comes to formalities.  
> -This is kind of start where some XB2 scenes are in the story, though with more context to them.


	5. Reunion at the Harbor

5 years later…

In the Leftherian Archipelago, Mòrag and Brighid were walking with their newfound companions, Rex, Pyra, Nia, Dromarch, Tora, and Poppi. Escorting them to Indol was Fan la Norne, an envoy for the nation. As they approached Ysheva Harbor, someone, or rather a couple of someones, were waiting for them. “Finally, you took your sweet time,” a familiar voice said.

Realizing who it was, Mòrag quietly said, “…You’re the…” _Zeke, you’re alive. I thought… I’d never see you again!_ she thought. She did her best to hide her emotions.

“Hey Shellhead,” said Nia.

“Hey,” he replied.

“You just don’t give up, do you? C’mon, out of the way.”

“More like stubborn leach than turtle,” complained Tora.

Zeke and Pandoria scoff at the comment. “Hah. This time I’m here for something a little bit different,” Zeke says.

“Ugh, what’s that supposed to mean?” Rex asked.

_Zeke, you’re starting to have some responsibility_ , thought Mòrag. _If you are what I think you are, then you really are a changed man._

“I want to see just how good you are chum,” Zeke explained. “I’ve been waiting here for three whole days already!” he says as he places three of his fingers in the palm of his other hand.

“Three days? Seriously? You know what, no thanks, I don’t pick on idiots,” said Nia pointing at him.

“Well then. Fight me and we’ll see who’s the idiot!“ Zeke says readying his sword.

“How’d you know we’d be here?” asked Rex.

“I’ll tell you… if you can beat me!” said Zeke. He then turns to look at Mòrag. _Still as gorgeous as ever_ , he thought. “You want to join the fun, too?” he asks her.

“No, you all go on ahead.”

“Huh? Why?” Rex asks.

“What a shame. It seems like the illustrious Flamebringer won’t be helping you this time,” Zeke taunts his opponents.

“Thanks for the concern and all, but maybe you should be worrying about yourself,” said Nia. “Big tree to your right, big rock to your left, and a cliff right behind you. Which one is going to get you this time, eh?” Nia remembered his bad luck.

Focusing all his energy, Zeke states, “Not today, furry ears. Check this.” Rex and friends looked at him unamused, as Zeke points his sword straight at them. Then, a streak of electricity flows around Zeke, as he dashes right through his opponents.

“Whoa!” startled Rex, as he and his team were sent into the air. Zeke and Pandoria slid behind them and pose, as they fell down. Mòrag smiles behind her collar, impressed by how much stronger he’s become.

“What the-“ said Nia, recovering from the attack.

“Well? Feel like taking me seriously yet, hmm?” Zeke taunted.

“S-so strong…” groaned Tora, as he got up.

“What the… How’d he do that?” Nia was dumbfounded.

“Thunderbolt Zeke,” Mòrag turns around and says. “Tantal’s most powerful Driver… and its Crown Prince,” she explains to the younger Drivers. Zeke smirked with confidence. _Mòrag, I miss you so much_ , he thought. _Guh, what am I saying?! Keep your eyes on the fight, Zeke!_

“Crown Prince of… Tantal?!”

“This guy?!”

“It is quite the rare opportunity to see his… swordsmanship first-hand,” Mòrag complimented him.

Losing himself a little, Zeke gets excited. “Now that is more like it. Ooh, come on, yeah! Keep it coming!” he said as he approaches Mòrag, Brighid, and Fan. Brighid covers Fan’s eyes, while Mòrag looks away. _I should not have said that. Now he’s losing his focus,_ she thought.

“That’s it? That’s all I get?!” Zeke regains his attitude. “Ugh, fine. …Anyway. Ready to concede defeat to the Zekenator?”

“As if!” Rex said as he got back up. “We’re only warming up, you pompous arse!” “I’m right with you,” said Pyra standing by his side. “Let’s show him what we got!”

Zeke slams his sword against the ground. “Hahaha, yessssss!” he said with enthusiasm. He then swirls his sword above him. “Let’s see of the Aegis is worth the hype! Hyaaah!” he yells as he readies his sword for battle.

* * *

After a vicious clash, Zeke slid towards the pier’s fence. Zeke then leans forward so he doesn’t fall off into the Cloud Sea. “Not bad, chum,” he compliments Rex’s fighting skills.

“Right back at you. Impressive! Didn’t think I’d ever see another Driver and Blade on Mòrag and Brighid’s level…” Rex told him.

_Same level as ol’ Flames there, eh?_ Zeke then pulls himself forward.

“You’re still holding back. Where’s the Aegis’s true power?” he asks the Leftherian and his Blade.

“Mythra’s power is only used for fighting bad guys.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet. So I’m a good guy now, is that it?!” he challenged Rex.

“Am I wrong?” Rex replied, putting away his sword.

Zeke stares at Rex and his party intensely, before abandoning the facade and gives a hearty laugh. “I like your attitude there, chum!” Zeke said, deactivating his sword’s ether. Pandoria jumps by his side and poses. “Well, that’s an Aegis’s Driver for you,” he says, pointing at Rex.

_Well, he certainly put up a good fight,_ observed Mòrag, crossing her arms. _And to hear that from Rex, I have to say he’s right. It seems like we’ve become equals, once more._

“How did we do, Your Highness?” asked Fan.

“Sure, you pass. I think we can just about let you into the Praeotrium,” Zeke said, strapping his sword to his back.

Nia just looked in shock. “What the hell?!” she exclaims. Everyone in Rex’s party looked surprised, save Brighid and Mòrag.

“I’ve been working for Indol for a while now. A kind of… special envoy.” _Special… envoy? Is he trying to copy me?_ Mòrag wondered. She almost giggled, but she knew how to restrain herself.

“They asked me to keep an eye out for the Aegis.” Rex, Pyra, and Nia were all looking at each other, dumbfounded by the revelation. “Actually, I volunteered to. You know how it is. I’m jolly sorry for testing you like that.”

“We were planning on getting this over with in ONE encounter. But His Highness has the most awful luck, so… “

_And yet, he’s still the same Zeke I remember,_ reminisced Mòrag.

“Yeah, I think I got that,” said Rex.

“What are you guys talking about? Everyone has bad days, right?” Zeke said as he began to lean against the fence. *SNAP* The fence broke behind Zeke.

“Ah!” the party gasps. Zeke tried moving forward, but gravity took control. “Whyyyy meeeee?!” he screamed as he fell into the sea below.

“There he goes,” Nia groaned. “Hmmm… bad luck indeed,” said Dromarch, overlooking the stable part of the fence.

Pyra turns to Pandoria. “Uhh… Should we go rescue him?”

“Naaah, he’ll find his own way back up somehow. Let’s just board the ship!” she said, walking towards the Titan ship. _Yep, that is definitely the Zeke I remember_ , Mòrag thought to herself as she went onboard.

* * *

“Oof!” said Zeke as he hulled himself into the window, startling Mòrag.

“How did you-?”

“Whoops, my bad. Just followed the ship until it was low enough, then just started climbing out of the Cloud Sea,” he explained. Mòrag sighed, and then gave him a big hug. “Woah, what this for?” Zeke asked, taken aback by her.

“I just… thought you died all those years ago,” she cried softly. “We went to Indol to find you after learning who your client was. We just found your attackers and the body of a Flesh-Eater, but not you.”

Zeke held her gently. “I’m sorry I scared you. I had no idea you were looking for me. But, everything is okay now.” They smiled at each other, embracing one another.

“So… how did you meet Rex?” they asked each other at the same time. “Oh, umm… you go ahead,” suggested Mòrag. “Nah, lady’s first,” Zeke offered. “Well…”

* * *

Zeke and Mòrag exchanged their stories about Rex. “Well, you seemed to have had a bit of fun,” teased Mòrag.

“If falling off cliffs and getting hit by a boulder counts as fun, then yes, I did have fun. And I’m sure getting soaked by a water tower felt relaxing,” he retorted.

Mòrag laughed. “I won’t lie, I actually had a nice, warm shower after that. Partially because I wanted time to think if I made the right decision of letting that boy go. The answer I now know was yes, I did,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad. There’s definitely a fire in his eyes, that’s for sure. And I’m not talking about the reflection from Pyra’s flames,” Zeke noticed.

“Say, Zeke?” “Yeah?” “How come you stayed in Indol for five years without telling anyone?” Mòrag asked.

“I wanted to become stronger. I stayed on Indol for five years, to not only repay my debt to the Praetor, but also to train myself before I went back to the other Titans. I was doing this not just for myself, but also for you,” he explained.

“M-me?! But why me?”

Zeke was a little nervous to confess his feelings. “It’s because, I… l-“

“Lady Mòrag, what was all that noi- oh. Welcome aboard, Your Highness,” Fan la Norne interrupted their conversation.

“O-oh, hey Fan. I had to sneak onto the ship when you guys were lower to the clouds. You do not know just how tired I am from all that swimming,” he said, trying to change the subject. _I don’t think I’m ready to tell her yet_ , he thought.

“Ah, I understand. Here, I’ll go get something for you to eat and drink. Is that all right with you?” she asked.

“Not at all. I’d be happy to have something,” he told her. Fan walked back into the hallway to get something.

Mòrag turns back to Zeke. “So, you were saying?”

“Oh, right! I want to be on equal ground with you. I wanted to see if we could spare again, like we did when we first met,” he lied.

“I-is that it? I don’t think we’ll have time for that soon. Besides, you don’t need to prove to me how strong you are by fighting with you. I can see it while you’re by my side,” she replied. _I don’t want to fight him. He’s proven to me that we are on equal footing. I don’t think that’s the whole story. If he still likes me, I’m not sure if I am ready to confess my feelings._ Mòrag was lost in her thoughts.

“Well that’s good to hear. Hey, maybe we can come up with, like, a really awesome team attack next time we fight together. What do you say?” “Thanks, but I’d rather leave the stylish moves to you.” “Pff, you’re no fun at all,” Zeke said softly.

“I’m back! Here’s some ruska noodle goulash and a cup of odifa. Lady Mòrag, would you be interested in something to drink?” asked Fan la Norne.

“Some tea would be nice, thank you,” she replied.

“Here you are,” Fan said as she poured some Indoline tea into a cup.

“Cheers, Fan,” Zeke told her. Fan bows and leaves the room.

“So, Fan la Norne. She is the Praetor’s Blade, if I remember correctly,” said Mòrag.

“You got that right. She’s really popular at the Praetorium. Though…”

“Though what?”

“…Nevermind. According to Amalthus, she’s the main reason why Torna hasn’t really attacked the Praetorium,” Zeke stated.

“We saw that in Mor Ardain. Fan was using her ability to manipulate the flow of ether, though I’m not sure how it affected those members of Torna. Unless… Zeke, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Mòrag asked.

“That they’re Flesh-Eaters? It’s possible. Did they have their Core Crystals exposed?”

“They didn’t, which is why this situation is very peculiar. Until further evidence confirms it, we can only speculate,” she said, followed by taking a sip of tea. “Mmph! It’s still a bit hot. I’ve never had Indol’s tea before.”

“You can get used to it. Luckily it cools fast, so it should be good to go in half a minute,” Zeke said. “You didn’t burn your mouth did you?”

“N-no, I didn’t, but thank you for asking. I’ll give it another try.” She takes another sip. “Oh, wow. You’re right, it does cool quickly. And now I can taste how pleasant it feels.”

“See, told ya.”

Zeke then took a peak out of the window. “Seems like we’re arriving at the port soon. I’ll finish this all up, pay for the ride, then meet you all on the way to the Praetorium,” he said.

“Well, this trip ended sooner than I thought,” Mòrag replied.

“You’d be surprised. Indol, despite it’s size, is a rather agile Titan. It’s almost like it adjusted its path to meet us sooner,” he explains. “Anyway, see you soon.” “I will and take your time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -And now we are fully placed back into the main story of Xenoblade 2. I was not intending this to be Chapter 5, as I could have easily made Chapters 1 and 2 the same one, but I couldn't of a title that would work for a combined chapter.  
> -I like to think Zeke sneaked into the ship, which explains why he caught Rex and Nia by surprise when they were looking at the Gormotti refugee camp in Indol. Mòrag wasn't all that surprised by his appearance in that scene, though it could just be that he saw him walk up to the plaza.  
> -I already finished the next two chapters and I'm working on a third one. Chapter 6 is going to be posted on Wednesday, while Chapter 7 will be posted next Saturday.  
> -I know that Zeke and Mòrag both admitted they had a crush on each other eight years ago, but that's a pretty long time to still hold feelings for each other, which is why Zeke was hesitant. Neither one of them is sure if the other still likes them or not.  
> -I'm just going to say it here, I really don't like calling Haze "Fan", particularly after playing Torna: the Golden Country a while back. Still a great character, though.  
> -I chose to not write a fight scene here between Rex and crew vs. Zeke and Pandoria. Don't worry, I have plans on doing one later.  
> -The reason why they haven't met is due to 1) Zeke adjusting to being a Blade-Eater, and 2) Mòrag being too busy with her schedule, considering now is when the tensions between Uraya and Mor Ardain are at their highest.


	6. Feelings for Mòrag

That evening…

Zeke was looking in the courtyard of the Indoline Sanctum. He was thinking about everything that happened that day, happy to finally see Mòrag after all these years. “I see I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep,” someone said.

“Huh? Oh, hey Nia. What’s got you up this late?“

“I’m not really someone that goes to bed earlier. Last to sleep, first to wake, yeah?” she told him.

“Nah, I get you. I’ve just been… thinking. That’s all.”

“Ah, I see. Say, Shellhead?”

“What is it?” he asked.

“So I can’t help but noticed that Mòrag didn’t really want to fight you, back in Leftheria. Why’s that?”

“Oh, that. Well if she got involved, it wouldn’t really be a fair fight, now would it?”

“I suppose. But I can’t help that there is more to it,” she pesters.

“If you want the full story, I’ll tell you. Just keep it between us, alright?”

“Oh I don’t know about that…”

“Then I won’t tell you.”

“Fine! Besides, I was just messing with ya,” she said.

“Sure you were, furry ears.”

“Hiss!”

Ignoring her, he begins the story of him and Mòrag. “So eight years ago, I was arrested by the Ardainian government. Just me and Pandy minding our own business, until some soldiers thought we were being suspicious. I’m not a Gormotti, a Leftherian, or an Ardainian, and I’m certainly not a Nopon, so the sight of me had some of the people wonder where I’m from,” he started.

“But you kind of look like you fit, at least as a Leftherian or Ardainian.”

“Not eight years ago. As you recall from Pandoria, I wear a contact lens. As a kid, I used to wear glasses. Because I wasn’t wearing one and didn’t have the eyepatch, you can clearly see my true eye color. Us Tantalese tend to have red to brown eyes. Anyway, back to the story, so the old Emperor, Alastair, was about to throw us into jail. But at the right moment, young Niall suggested we tell him just who we were. He let us go and we spent the next couple of days in Hardahaigh Palace. We were going to leave after one night, but I decided to do some exploring. That’s when I met Mòrag. She was training with Brighid and Aegaeon in the courtyard. I will admit, I was a little bit interested in her.”

“Oh, did Shellhead have a childhood crush?” Nia teased.

“Bite me!” Zeke didn’t trust Nia with keeping his secret.

“She was a bit annoyed that I didn’t just leave, but she suggested we have a little practice fight,” he continued. “Back then, we were pretty much on par with one another. It was a draw. We then sat down together and shared our stories with one another. And since then, we made a promise to one another. That I would be able to see her when she has the time, so long as I stayed safe. The last time we saw each other was five years ago in Torigoth. That’s when our names started to become known throughout Alrest.”

Nia puts her hands on her hips. “Mòrag for sure, but we didn’t even know you were a Prince until recently.”

“I mean you are still a kid.”

“Can it, Zeke.”

Zeke laughed a little. “Sure, sure. I’m just glad we managed to meet each other again. I missed talking to her.”

“So, you do have a crush,” she messes with him.

“Nia I-“

“Don’t worry, Shellhead. I’m not one to ruin someone’s chance of asking someone out.”

Zeke’s face was a little red, but he sighs in relief. “You know, Nia. You can be a bit decent sometimes.”

“Pff. I’ll let you off this time, but maybe I might let this slip a tiny bit.”

“Nia…” “Relax, I’m just jesting you. You’re alright.” Zeke smiled. “Thanks, Nia. Let’s head back to our rooms, shall we?” “Sure.” They walk back to their quarters and turned in for the night.

In Zeke and Pandoria’s room, Pandoria was already tucked in, reading a book. “Hey, Pandy. I’m back,” her Driver said as he came inside.

“What were you doing, my Prince?” she asked.

“Just had a chat with Nia. Just talking about our little adventure in Mor Ardain all the way back. It was originally just me collecting my thoughts, until she showed up.”

“You still remember that?”

“It hasn’t really been that long. I was only seventeen, you know?”

“I guess you’re right. Speaking of, what do you think of her?” Pandoria asks.

“Nia? Well she’s-“

“No, not her. **Her**. You know, Mòrag!”

Zeke wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell Pandoria how he felt about her. “Well she is a jolly good fighter,” he began. “Uh, dude. When was the last time you actually saw her fight?”

“…”

“Exactly. But you certainly did seem happy to see her.”

“Pandoria, you were literally copying me when she complimented me,” he points out.

“I can’t help it! I will say, I did feel your weapon’s energy signature climbing onto the boat and you didn’t immediately come find me. Actually, you were in the same spot for a while.”

“Look, I climbed into her room without realizing it was her’s. I could have gone into anyone’s room, and Mòrag’s just happened to be the closest one to where I was swimming. Plus, I was bloody worn out.”

Pandoria smiled at him. “Hey, Zeke?” “What?” “Do you still… like Mòrag?”

“I mean she’s a great person and a respectable leader and-“

“Oh, Zeke. You’re so silly. I mean, do you “like like” her,” she joshed. “I-I… um…” He was at a lost of words. _Am I being too obvious?_ he wondered.

“Look at you. I only mentioned the idea and you’re already turning into a mess,” giggled Pandoria.

“Pandy, that’s not really funny.”

“But seriously, do you?”

Zeke took in a deep breath and said, “Yes. I still like Mòrag in that sense.”

“Awww, my Prince! That is so cute!” “Huh?! But I thought-“

“That I liked you? Zeke, I’ve known you since you were just a kid. I love you, like an older sister would,” she told him.

“Pandy… that’s real sweet of you.”

“I would do anything in the world to help my little brother.”

“Little… brother? I take it you read your journal before we left Tantal.”

“I might’ve taken a peak. I remember reading that when I heard the news that Queen Kallisto was having a baby, I was so excited,” she gushes.

“And it’s when mother passed away did I learn about the nature of you Blades. When I thought she passed on, I thought you did as well.”

“To be fair, I was the only Blade you personally knew and you were, what, ten?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. I seem to remember you tagged along with me just to make sure I was alright. It was when we were on the boat ride home that you returned to your core. I freaked out and cried, confused by what just happened. Dad told me the news and scolded me a little bit after finding out where I was for scaring him half to death. But, even though he was mad, he still cared about me,” Zeke reminisced.

“And then a few years later, you got ratted out and banished for sneaking off to Gormott again.”

“…Yeah. Wait, you were there too! Hell, you ran along with the plan!” Zeke reminded her. “I mean, I am your Blade, after all. Of course I’m supposed to be where you are. You’d be useless without me,” she said.

“Fair enough. Well that’s enough chitchat for tonight; we should get some sleep. Rex’s going to meet the Praetor, after all.”

"You're right. Well, night, night!"

"Goodnight, Pandoria." _Hopefully she doesn't spread this secret around..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Now for this story, I will be covering some story events on a case-by-case basis, either because it fits the plot of my fanfic or because it helps give context as to what's happening. For this chapter, I omitted the cutscene at the plaza and on the way to the sanctum. I don't want to necessarily cover Xenoblade 2's story beat-by-beat.  
> -The way I view Zeke and Nia is that they fight like brother and sister would. Nia also comes across as the type that likes to mess with people she knows, but is cool with keeping something a secret. Especially considering THAT secret about herself.  
> -Pandoria and Zeke. While I can see her and Zeke going into a relationship (same applies with Mòrag and Brighid), especially because she admits to liking Zeke, she also calls herself his "big sis" a lot. I also having my biases and find Zeke and Mòrag to be really cute together. So I went with a more familial love, rather than a romantic love. We don't know if she has a journal like Brighid, but I assume she does. It's just in Theosoir.  
> -The name "Kallisto" was chosen for Zeke's mother due to it meaning "beautiful" in Ancient Greek. I was originally going for a snow or ice themed name, but I couldn't think of one. Also, it kind of sounds nice with Eulogimenos.  
> -It should be pretty obvious what the next chapter is going to be titled.  
> -Zeke and Pandoria have known each other for at least ten years in Xenoblade 2. Since we don't know when exactly the flashback of them being saved by Amalthus took place, there's kind of a range between 5 years before XB2 to a few months before XB2.  
> -So here's the schedule for the next few chapters: Ch. 7 is out later today, Ch. 8 is out on Saturday, Ch. 9 is out on Monday, Ch. 10 is out next Wednesday, and Ch. 11 is out on Christmas (for good reason). After that, the following chapters will be out whenever.


	7. Feelings for Zeke

Morning has arrived in Indol. Zeke went to the common room where he and his comrades occupied. There he saw Mòrag dressed in her casual attire, a pair of black and red pants, and a white, buttoned up shirt. She was having some tea, while reading some intel she received before she left for Leftheria.

“*Yawn!* Morning, Mòrag.”

“Good morning, Zeke. Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“I turned in a little late. A couple of chatterboxes kept me up a little longer than I hoped, but I still slept alright. How about you?” he asked.

“Fine. My bed felt quite nice. Although, I will say, I did stay up a bit reading this,” Mòrag gestures towards the document in front of her.

“Confidential?” “Not entirely, no. Are you aware of the events that transpired in Mor Ardain?”

“You’re talking about Bana, aren’t you?” She nods. “Correct. After Torna arrived to pick up their artificial Blades, Bana slipped away. Where he’s hiding, we do not know. We are collaborating with Acting Chairman Niranira of Argentum and his team to figure out Bana’s whereabouts and what he has planned next.”

“Say, do you remember what I told you a few years ago? About how he’s got some shady ties?”

“Yes, I do remember, but you never did told me.”

“I didn’t? Huh. Guess I must have been to caught up with seeing you again.”

“Zeke, please get to the point.” Mòrag was getting a little impatient.

“Ok. So, there are rumors that Bana has ties with Lindwurm as a donator. I got those Lindwurm rebels to spill the beans. Do you want to hear the details?”

“Maybe some other time. We have an appointment to attend to, so I’d rather you get yourself some breakfast. Our host was gracious enough to provide us with some food and drinks,” she told him.

“You’re right. Is everyone else up yet?”

“Not everyone. Rex and Nia went out earlier this morning to take a look around here, Tora and Poppi are still sleeping, Brighid’s walking about, and Azurda went to go find Rex,” she said.

“Ok. I saw Dromarch and Pyra earlier outside my window looking for Rex and Nia. Pandoria was getting herself ready when I left,” he stated. “You want me to get Tora and Poppi?” Mòrag gave a half smile. “Gladly.”

* * *

“Meh meh… Tora doesn’t want to wake up, but Zeke said we go,” Tora complained, carrying a pillow down the stairs.

“Masterpon, we have big meeting today,” Poppi said trailing behind him. She didn’t quite look awake either.

Tora saw the food on the table and became alert.

“Meh? Did Praetor leave gift for Tora and friends?”

“Sure did, chum. Help yourself. You too, Popster,” said Zeke.

“Friend Zeke knows Poppi can’t eat,” Poppi explained.

“Oh. Right, forgot about that. Say, Mòrag, did you get a bite to eat?”

“I already ate before you were awake. Brighid woke me up when she left,” she said.

“More like the cold stirred you up,” said Brighid, as she came in the front entrance. “Don’t think I heard that small noise you made when I opened the door.”

“Brighid…” she said embarrassingly.

Brighid turns to face the others. “Lady Mòrag is not too fond of the cold, you see.”

“Makes sense, for someone called the ‘Flamebringer’,” said Zeke.

Mòrag groaned in annoyance. “Anyway,” she changes the topic. “Let’s get ready to go.”

“But I just got here,” said Pandoria, as she takes a seat next to Poppi.

“It’s fine. You just go ahead and eat,” said Mòrag. “Brighid, do mind getting Rex and the others?” “As you wish, my lady.”

* * *

After a meeting with the Praetor, the group had some time to relax for a bit after having dinner. Zeke was hanging out with Rex, Nia, Tora, and Poppi, while Brighid, Pandoria, and Dromarch shared some of their stories. Pyra came into Mòrag’s room to chat. “Good evening, Pyra. Shouldn’t you be with the others?”

“I was, but I decided to check on you.”

Puzzled, Mòrag asked, “Is there a reason why?”

“I just figured, maybe we should try getting to know one another better. I hope you have the time,” said Pyra.

“Well, I did just finish reading the report I brought with us. So what do you want to talk about?”

“So, how do you know Zeke?”

“Well, where do we start? Niall’s father, the previous emperor, was about to throw Zeke and Pandoria in jail, had it not been for His Majesty’s kindness,” she began her story.

“Wait, what were they doing?!” gasped Pyra.

“Some of our men thought they were a couple of bandits or had connections to Torna, due to how they didn’t resemble anyone in Mor Ardain. In reality, they were just shopping. After that, the emperor allowed for Zeke and Pandoria to stay for the night. But, the ever so curious Zeke decided to wander the palace. He eventually found me training. At the time, I had only advanced through some of the ranks, aiming for my current position. I wasn’t fond of him just coming in, interrupting my session, but... I will admit, I was curious about him. I offered he could stay, so long as he helped me train. So we had a practice duel, ending in a tie. We then decided to share stories about one another. It was there we both realized, we were a lot alike. So we promised each other that we’ll see each other, on the condition that Zeke remained safe,” she continued her story.

“That’s… actually kind of cute,” commented Pyra.

“C-cute? We just became friends. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less,” Mòrag said nervously.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but you looked so happy to see him before we came to Indol,” she noticed.

“Y-you noticed?” Mòrag sighed and recomposed herself. “Very well. Yes, I was absolutely thrilled to see him again. It had been five years before we met again. I was… afraid,” she confessed.

“Afraid? Did something happen five years ago?”

“Zeke took on a job from an agent of Brionac, a pro-war terrorist group that wants Mor Ardain to exercise their power over other nations, most notably, Uraya. He did not realize who he was at the time. At first, we thought he took on a job by a man named Razelo Fernsby. When we arrived at the scene in Indol, we saw nothing but terrified Brionac rebels, scorched and drowned plants, and the body of a Flesh-Eater.”

“We did an autopsy and discovered that this was not Fernsby, but rather his Blade. It became more apparent when we received a report four years ago that he was still alive. Burnt with scars, but alive, nonetheless. But, we did not find Zeke. I feared… that the worst had happened. But Brighid reminded me that I shouldn’t lose hope. And so, I waited. Waited for the news that the Prince of Tantal was alive and well, so that we may meet again. I did not think fate would have brought us back together like this,” Mòrag concluded.

“You really do care about him, don’t you?” asked Pyra.

“I-I do. He is not like any other man I have met in my life, outside of family. Though this is only our third encounter, I want to… know him more. Tantal is cutoff from the rest of the world, so I hope that, one day, I may visit his home country,” she said smiling.

“I hope so too,” Pyra agreed.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You two have some similarities, but you also have characteristics that compliment each other.”

“You think so?”

Pyra nods. “I do. If you want to talk about this more, just let me know, ok?”

Mòrag gave it a thought, then answered, “I will. I want to know how I can become closer to Zeke. And Pyra?”

“Yes?” “I want to say, I’m sorry for threatening you back in Gormott. And thank you for allowing me to express how I felt about him,” she responds. “Your welcome, Mòrag. And apology accepted.”

Pyra passes by Brighid, who was returning to her room for the night. “I was wondering where she ran off to, but I see you made a new friend. And to think the other week, you were bent on destroying her,” said Brighid as she walked into the room.

“We decided to put those days behind us,” her Driver explained.

“That’s good to know. Though I couldn’t help but overhear you two talking about Zeke. You already told me before how you felt, so I won’t pry more into your feelings.”

Mòrag gave her a smile. “Thank you Brighid, for supporting my decision.”

Brighid nods, before an Ardainian soldier appeared in her peripheral vision.

“Lady Brighid, may I have a word with you?” he asked. “Of course, what is it you wish to tell me?” The soldier then explains what’s happening in Temperantia…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -And now it's Mòrag's turn to share her secret, only with Pyra. A shorter chapter, but it compliments the one earlier today.  
> -The casual attire is kind of based on how she looked in the official art by CHOCO where the party was taking a rest in Tantal.  
> -I like to imagine Mòrag was in the middle of reading her intel when Zeke climbed through the window on the ship, so she's making up for some lost time.  
> -So how did Zeke learn about what Bana was up to? You know how it was implied that Indol sometimes taps into etherlines? Yeah...  
> -Writing Nopon dialect is kind of fun sometimes. With Tora, he's still a kid so I wrote him as someone that didn't want to go do something important. I also believe he's actually a year or two younger than Rex, who is canonically 15.  
> -I like to imagine that Mòrag's uniform is well insulated, keeping her cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold. When she's not wearing it, she gets cold easily. I guess growing up in a hot climate would do that for you.  
> -Pyra is not the type to go around spreading secrets. Also, I like her interaction with Mòrag in the H2H on the Cliffs of Morytha, where they were talking about how Mòrag and Niall should act more like siblings, instead of all of the formalities. I can see them being good friends, despite a rough first encounter.  
> -Mòrag seems like someone that would like to apologize in person. While she did kind of do it on the way to the sanctum, I felt like doing a more formal apology.


	8. Temperantia

After receiving the news about that Torna hijacked one of the Titan weapons unearthed in Temperantia, our heroes boarded an Indoline ship in order to prevent war from starting. In addition to their main Blades, Rex brought Roc and Wulfric, Nia brought Boreas and Crossette, and Zeke bonded with Praxis’ Core Crystal. The other Blades were talking about how to go about the mission, while also welcoming Praxis to the team. Rex looked at Mòrag through the window, as she was discussing the strategy for reclaiming the weapon with one of her soldiers.

“Mòrag looks kind of stressed right now,” he said.

“Mor Ardain may be an empire, but His Majesty and Lady Mòrag do not want to go to war with Uraya over land and resources,” Brighid explained.

“Yeah, from what I remember her telling me, it’s part of the Senate that wants to go to war,” added Zeke. “She’s got every reason to be stressed out. I frankly don’t blame her.”

“You two knew each other?” asked Rex.

“We’ve got some history,” said Zeke. “But I’d rather save that story for another time. Right now, we have to get to the bottom of this, or else Alrest is going to see the greatest battle since the Aegis War.”

“You’re right,” said Rex.

Mòrag and her allies arrived on the shore. “Our latest report says that the Titan weapon is advancing through the Central Plain, heading for the Ancient Wall to the north. We have to stop it before things escalate into a full-blown war. Any questions?” No one answered. “Very well. Let us hurry!” They rushed to Overlook Hill. In the plains below, they saw the remains of some of the Titan warships.

“How awful…” said Brighid.

“Hmm… They didn’t stand a chance,” commented Zeke.

Rex turns to see the cybernetic Titan marching slowly to its destination. “Look! Over there!” he shouts. The weapon began to unfold some of its plating, revealing several glowing sockets. It was charging its attack.

Mythra tells the rest of her team, “Watch out! Here it comes!” The Titan fires several beams of ether at the Cliffside. Everyone yelled, bracing for impact.

Rex got up slowly after the blast. “Ungh! Everyone ok?”

His comrades seemed fine, just taken aback from the assault.

“Just about, I think,” said Zeke. The Titan rained down lasers on the stragglers that survived crashing in their airships. Chaos littered the field.

“We have to stop it!” said Rex.

Unsure about the situation, Nia asks, “How do we stop that?!”

“On it’s back, there’s an Ardainian drive mechanism,” Mòrag began to explain. “If we can somehow sever the cables connecting it to each leg, its energy supply will be cut off. It’ll stop.”

Dromarch turns to the Aegis. “Lady Mythra, I presume you’ll be able to destroy them?”

“Good plan!” said Rex.

“Sure. That sounds like a feasible measure…” Mòrag said sarcastically. “That is, if we don’t mind reducing the whole area to ashes.”

“What do you mean?” wondered Zeke.

“I read instruction manuals. It’s my job to know these things,” said Mòrag. “The weapon is powered by vaporized Titan bodily fluids. The gas it makes is completely unstable. The slightest shock and we have a giant explosion on our hands. There was… an accident here just three months ago because we didn’t see how unstable it was,” she finished explaining.

Mythra realized the consequences. “If we’d just attacked without realizing that…”

“Argh, dammit!” complained Rex.

“Why make a weapon that dangerous?” Dromarch puzzled.

“As long as we got the weapon inside enemy lines, destroying the weapon would destroy them too,” Mòrag told the tiger. “That was the justification given.”

“That’s so cold it’s almost impressive,” Zeke noted.

Brighid looks at the prince and said, “That’s exactly why the Emperor called a halt to the excavation.”

“Can’t we get at the people on board?” asked Nia.

“The control center is protected by ten layers of armor. The chances of it being breached or destroyed are low. But… that armor is limited,” Mòrag resumed her explanation. “It doesn’t entirely cover the energy cables.”

“So… it’s them or nothing,” affirmed Rex.

“How we get on Titan’s back?” Tora wasn’t sure about how they can do it.

Mythra looked around the area. “Up ahead – there’s a spot where the cliff juts out,” she says pointing at Haggle’s Swordstip. “If we can get up there, we’ll be able to jump onto its back.”

“But if our timing’s off, we go headfirst down to the bottom of the cliff?” asked Azurda.

“And we’d have to make it across avoiding its attacks all the while,” stated Dromarch.

“I’ll take care of it,” said Fan la Norne.

“Fan?” “I mean, I’ll stop the Titan moving. While it’s stopped, you all jump onto its back.”

“Fan, you... All right, then! But you’d better be careful!” said Rex.

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“Then let’s go!”

Rex and friends carefully navigated the burning cliff, trying to avoid the startled wild life. “Gah! Go away, why don’t ya!” Rex yelled at the confused Gyanna trying to shoot them. A ball of electricity almost hit Rex, but Tora blocks it with his shield.

“Thanks, let’s hurry!”

They approached the Swordtip, with the weapon beginning to charge its next attack. “Almost there!” One of the beams struck in front of Rex and Mythra, obscuring the area in smoke.

“Ugh… we can’t get closer!” said a desperate Rex.

“Allow me!” Fan said as she ran past Rex.

“Fan!”

“Leave her. She’ll be fine, trust me,” Mythra reassures her Driver. Fan was dodging blasts left and right before stabbing the ground with the base of her staff. A greenish aura emitted from the area around her, enveloping the Titan as well. With this powerful aura surrounding it, the Titan shuts down, standing idly, like the docile giant it once was.

“Now, let’s move!” Mòrag commanded.

“Yeah!” Rex agreed.

Our heroes jumped on top of the insect-like colossus. With the wires in sight, Rex runs toward them. “We just need to cut that…” he said. Suddenly, the Titan shook, stopping him in his tracks, as a mechanical claw rose from above the wires.

“An independent defense mechanism… Ardainian technology. My apologies,” Mòrag pardoned herself.

“Why would you even bloody make something like that?” Zeke asks her.

“Bitch later - fight now!” Nia told him.

“Tora! Nia! Zeke! You three distract the core! Rex, come with me to destroy the wires!” Mòrag ordered.

“Got it!”

Poppi swapped to her QT form and began firing missiles at the claw. Mòrag slammed her whips on the deck, creating a wave of fire hurling at the wires. The left two digits of Aeshma’s Core tried to hot Zeke and Pandoria, but he pushes against one of them with his sword. Pandoria threw a bolt of lightning at the other digits, causing it to spaz out. Nia., Boreas, and Dromarch were busy healing the rest of the party.

“Wulfric!” Rex calls for him. “Right!” he starting swinging his lance wildly, getting ready to start a Blade combo. Zeke and Pandoria let out another surge of electricity, followed up by Praxis finishing things up with Electrolysis. Brighid continued Wulfrics assault with Will-o’-the-Wisp, setting the wires on fire.

“Let’s finish this! Roc!” “Understood!” Roc created a fierce gust of wind finishing the Blade combo. With a loud snap and an explosion, the wires broke and Aeshma deactivated.

“It stopped…” Rex said, putting away his weapon.

“Yes. Seem like it,” Mòrag observed.

“It’s you. I thought it might be,” a cold, male voice said from up high. On a metal platform above where the wires were stood Jin, the leader of Torna.

“Jin!!!” said Rex seeing him once again.

“I knew it,” said Mythra.

“So this is Jin, leader of Torna. I am Fan la Norne. As envoy of Praetor Amalthus, I am bringing you into custody.”

Jin knew exactly who she was. “How ironic. That you should speak his name with that face… Oblivious to everything, even your own identity!”

Fan was confused. “Wha…? Do you know something about-?!”

“And you, Aegis! Don’t you dare stand there, acting like you’re not involved in all this!” Jin looked down at Mythra.

“All right. Then tell me this… Why are you, who fought alongside us to defeat Malos, now standing by his side?”

Rex looks at Mythra and asked, “Jin…fought against him…?!”

Jin then said, “It’s very simple. I realized he had the right of it. That’s all.” Mythra walked forward.

“I don’t think it’s as simple as that at all.”

Jin then leaps down gracefully in front of the disabled claw. “So clever. You always were too clever for your own good,” he states.

“Sorry, that’s just the way I am.”

“Mythra, don’t tell me-“

“Yes. He’s a Blade too. He was the strongest Blade in Torna… until it fell in the war.”

Jin reminds her, “’It fell,’ says the girl that sank it!”

“A Blade?”

“There were none stronger… yet none kinder, either. And…no one that hated to fight more than him. Why, Jin? What changed?!” Mythra wanted answers.

“What if I told you it was your fault?”

“Mine?”

“If you didn’t sealed yourself away… Then she’d still…” Jin was hesitant to continue saying what happened to Lora.

Mythra’s pupils shrank. “Oh?! So that’s it…”

Jin pulled his nodachi off his back and removed his mask, revealing a brilliant red light. Everyone gasped in shock by the color of his Core Crystal. “That Core Crystal!”

“That color… it’s like… blood.”

“Careful! That Crystal isn’t normal,” Mòrag warned. Jin tosses his mask to the side.

“Put away your sword. My ability is to restrict a Blade’s every action. As long as you are a Blade, there is nothing you can do to escape its clutch,” Fan la Norne said.

“Wait, restricting Blades’ powers?! Then before – was that…?!” Rex had a realization about the encounter with Mikhail and Patroka.

“Go ahead and try,” Jin taunted his adversaries.

* * *

After a grueling battle, Rex slid back a little from Jin’s last attack. "How… How is he still moving?! Even that Patroka girl couldn’t withstand it…” Rex wondered.

"No, it’s working. His powers are certainly limited now. But Jin…. he’s one of the most powerful Blades in history,” Mythra reminded him.

“Even so, we can beat him!” Rex encouraged his team. “We just have to work together!”

Jin was approaching them. “I don’t think so!” before warping behind the party to Fan la Norne. He stabs her through her Core Crystal.

“What?!” Mòrag was shocked by his speed.

“Fan!”

Jin drove the sword deeper in Fan’s torso. “You are no slave. Be free now,” he told her. Fan nods and drops her staff. He touches his face and smiles, somehow remembering who she was. The gesture reminded Jin of their Driver in her final moments. He quickly stopped thinking about it before warping back to where he was originally. Everyone but Jin was looking at her dead body.

“Fan-“ Fan la Norne’s Core Crystal faded to black, signaling her demise. “No – no, why?! Jin! Why the hell would you do this?! What good does it do you?!” Rex asked.

“Why, you ask…?” Jin said turning around. “Then let me ask you this. Blades are granted phenomenal power from our creator on high… yet we are doomed to never remember. Why?!”

“What…”

“The accumulation of memories is what allows mankind, no, all life to grow. Change, evolve. But… Blades are fleeting. When we return to our cores, our memories are lost. Our growth snatched away forever,” Jin continued.

“People aren’t so different,” said Mòrag.

“Man’s life too has an end, yes. However, though each individual life is fleeting… You pass on your memories, allowing you to grow. As a species, as a culture. Why does Indol control all the Core Crystals? By controlling the moment of every Blade’s birth, they enslave our entire kind. How is that fair? We have no culture because Indol decrees it. Because that’s what your kind do!” Jin continued his rant.

"Jin…” Mythra calls out to him.

“Why are you the masters, and we the slaves? It is we… who embody the very nature of this world!”

“Blades… embody the world? I don’t… get what you’re…” Rex was puzzled by what Jin was telling him.

“If you saw the last state of humanity, you’d understand! Now that you’ve come this far, there can be no turning back.” Jin walked towards the group with his sword pointed directly at Rex and Mythra. A white mist started to appear around the deck.

“But… I’m afraid your journey ends here,” Jin said readying his blade. The mist was starting to intensify, before Jin fell to his knees in pain. “Gahhh!”

The party was confused as the mist vanished. “Nghh… why now…” Jin didn’t like that his old body was acting up now.

“Hey – now’s our chance!” Zeke calls to his companions.

“Huh?”

“What are you standing around for?! Show that scumbag what’s what!”

A reddish-purple light rushed between the party and Jin. “What?!” Rex said in surprise. A blue gauntlet picked up Jin’s mask.

Nia recognizes who it was. “It’s Akhos!” He was now wielding a bow and came to Jin’s aid.

“Malos sent me. Time to make an exit. Ready?” he asks his leader. Jin was still hurt, but appreciated the help.

“Who says we’re going to let you go?” Zeke said, ready for another fight.

“Hah… You really don’t understand, do you? You really think this is over?” Akhos taunts Zeke and co.

“What the-“ The Titan began to stir once more and the mechanical claw sprung back to life. “How? We cut the bloody cable!” Zeke was perplexed.

“Certainly. But some energy still remains, deep in its core. Don’t you see? It’s like a Blade weapon!” Akhos explained. Aeshma roared to life as the claw waited for the Tornans to leave. “Well, you seem busy. I’ll leave you to it. Bye!” Akhos and Jin make their exit.

“Wait!” Rex and Zeke tried chasing after them, but one of the digits slammed down in front of them. “Ugh!” Rex growled in annoyance, as they prepared for round three.

* * *

Combining their strength, the claw goes down for good. Rex then approaches Fan. “I don’t get it… “ Rex said sadly. He picks up Fan. “I’m… I’m meant to be a Driver now… I have a Blade of my own…. But I couldn’t do anything… Fan… Nothing’s changed…. I’m just as weak as I’ve always been!” Rex cries out.

Mythra looked a little depressed. “Jin… What happened, to make you like this?” Rex wonders aloud.

Seeing something in the distance, Nia runs to the front of the deck. “What…is that?” she said staring at the fleet of Titan ships flying towards them.

“That… Urayan army! So many of them!” alarmed Poppi.

“What?!” Pandoria said in shock.

“No!” Realizing what’s happening, Mòrag turns around to see what appears to be happening: the Ardainians in Temperantia gearing for war. “Shit! Who gave that damn order?!” Mòrag was beyond livid that the very thing he and Niall hoped to prevent was happening.

“At this rate, I don’t think there’s any stopping them,” Brighid suggested.

"How so?” asked Nia.

“They think Mor Ardain attacked them illegally. With no declaration of war,” Azurda explained.

“This is bad. If someone doesn’t explain what’s really going on…” Zeke didn’t want Mor Ardain to be in a war, for Mòrag’s sake.

“But there’s no time for that!” Mòrag states.

“So what? We just give up?!” Nia was worried about their current situation.

The Urayan warships began charging up for an attack. “Heavy cannons! That’s Uraya’s main weapon,” said Brighid.

Behind them, the Ardainian warships were also preparing their assault. “Here too! Mor Ardain also readying artillery!” said Poppi.

Rex puts down Fan la Norne’s body. “I don’t care if we’re not going to make it in time! We need to get to Uraya!”

“Right!” Zeke agreed with him.

“Wait!” Mythra tells them, sensing a change in the air. Flying high above the ray-like titan was Indol, with Amalthus piloting its course.

* * *

Rex and crew managed to take the ship back into Indol. On the way there, tensions were high in the boat. Zeke brought back Fan la Norne’s body and placed it gently on some of the seats.

Dromarch looked at Wulfric. “War bad… Friends shouldn’t be at war,” he said. Dromarch agrees with him. Crossette was fiddling around with her Bitball, kicking it between her feet. Boreas wasn’t in the mood for food, a first. Rex and Pyra were sitting together, not wanting to start a conversation. Nia was petting Dromarch’s fur, while Tora and Poppi sat in silence. Praxis wasn’t her bubbly self. Zeke and Mòrag were talking about what’s about to happen next.

“So, you think Indol’s trying to prevent us from going to war?” asked Mòrag.

“Yeah. Queen Raqura is the only party that’s not aware of what happened. My guess is Amalthus wants all the leaders in Alrest to gather together for a meeting to discuss what just happened,” Zeke speculated.

“Here’s hoping. Someone of his status is definitely keen on keeping the peace. Zeke, do you mind bringing Pyra in here?” she requested.

“Sure can. Give me a sec.” Zeke opens the door into the main lobby of the Titanship.

“Hey, Pyra. Can you come her for a bit? Mòrag’s got something she want’s to discuss with you.”

“Ok, I’ll be right there.” She got up from her seat and came into the room. “So what do you wish to talk about?”

“I want both you and Zeke to serve as witnesses for this incident. You’re the Aegis, while Zeke is a representative for Tantal. Are you two up to the task?” Mòrag asked.

“I mean, I was going to be at the meeting anyway. No point hanging around when my old man wants no part of this. So I’m with you,” Zeke told her.

“Pyra, or rather Mythra. Can you?”

Pyra swapped forms to her light counterpart. “Sure, why not. I’m not particularly fond of the drama between nations, but I do want to put an end to the rumors,” she said.

“Thank you, both of you,” Mòrag said sincerely.

* * *

The ship arrived back in Indol and our heroes went out onto Goetius Port. Zeke carried Fan in his arms as they headed for the sanctum. Everyone around them looked with sad eyes, shocked by what happened to her. Rex and the others had a look of dread, wary of what might happen next.

“You all get to your rooms. It’s getting late and I don’t want you all staying up thinking about what happened today,” Mòrag said. Zeke and Pandoria were already heading to the Praetor’s office.

When Amalthus saw the body, his face became gloomy. “I will have someone prepare for her funeral. It will not be tomorrow, but it is only appropriate we do it soon,” he sorrowed.

“Yes, Your Eminence,” Zeke responded. He and Pandoria walk back to the common rooms. There, they saw Mòrag staring up at the moonlit sky. Zeke told Pandoria to wait for him in their room, as he wanted to talk to Mòrag.

“Hey,”he said as he walked up to her.

“Hey,” Mòrag said gloomily. They were quiet for a few minutes, standing together.

Finally, Mòrag broke the silence. “If we don't fix this issue now…I don’t know what I’d do.” She sounded defeated. Her whole life, she did everything in her power to prevent war between her home and Uraya, and yet, here she is powerless to stop the possible battle to come.

Zeke placed a hand on her shoulder. “Mòrag…you didn’t do anything wrong. You and I both know that the Queen of Uraya is a sensible person,” he reminded her.

“I know. It’s just…I’m a little worried.”

“I know you are. But, I don’t like seeing you like this. You never gave up believing that I was still alive, so... I want you to believe that we can solve this problem. ” They looked at each other for a bit, with Zeke giving her a smile.

“…You know what. I think I will believe,” Mòrag said with a smile.

“That’s the Mòrag I know! Now come on, let’s get some sleep. Your brother probable doesn’t want to see you all sleep deprived.”

“Yes, let’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Here's a chapter that follows the main story of XB2. I felt it was necessary to include it, considering just how big of a deal this incident is to Mòrag.  
> -So why the inclusion of some of the rare Blades, like Praxis and Boreas? Well...you're just going to find out at a later chapter next week.  
> -Mòrag may be in the Ardainian military, but both her and Niall both expressed how they do not wish to go to war. Which is why I wrote the scene at the end of the chapter, with Mòrag just feeling a little devastated by the potential war.


	9. The Summit

The next morning…

At the port, the Urayan and Ardainian flagships both arrived, with Queen Raqura and her retainers coming from the former, and Emperor Niall and Aegaeon coming from the other. At the group’s chambers, everyone was getting ready for this very important day.

“Morning folks. Everyone sleep well?” Zeke asked in the common room.

“Not a wink…” yawned Rex.

“Figured as much. Once we’re done here, let’s take a nice walk over to the hall where the emergency summit’s being held. Clear our heads a little. Someone’s gotta escort Mòrag over there, right?”

“I think I would be perfectly capable of finding my own way…” _Not to mention you’re going, as well._

“And Mythra’s meant to be attending too, right?”

_Wait, she is? She didn’t tell me that…_ thought Rex.

“Yes.”

“See? We might as well all head over.”

“I guess you’re right… Let’s go then,” said Rex.

They walked together to the audience chamber. On the way, Zeke whispered to Mòrag, “How are you feeling this morning?”

“I’m still a little nervous. But… I think we can do this.”

“I’m right with you. Now, let’s calm down a bit. Don’t want to get too wound up.” She nods in agreement.

They arrived outside the Praetor’s study, with Senelo and some of his men guarding the door. “Through here is the venue for the summit of nations. I must apologize, but entry is forbidden to all but the official representatives of each nation,” he explains.

“I guess this is as far as we go,” said Nia.

“Yes… Brighid and I will proceed to the summit,” said Mòrag.

“Don’t forget, I’m coming with you. And so are you, Mythra. Remember?” Zeke asked the Aegis.

“I guess… I’m not sure I like it, but I suppose I have to play my part in all this. Rex, you head back to our chambers with the others and wait for us,” she told him. “

No problems!” said Nia.

“Be careful in there, ok, Mythra?” said Rex.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this just fine.”

The party splits up, with Mòrag, Brighid, Zeke, and Mythra heading for their meeting. The rest stayed behind to rest in their rooms. They were the first to arrive at the meeting. Mòrag took a seat beside her cousin, with Aegaeon keeping guard behind them. Brighid leans against the wall, observing the room around her.

“I promise you’re not hurt, Mòrag?” the little emperor asked.

“Not at all. We have some very reliable healers with Rex and his friends. Flight went alright, Your Majesty?”

“It went well. How about you Queen Raqura?”

“It was a ways off for us, but the flight went smoothly,” the Queen answered. _You know, for someone that’s not taking the possibility of war well, she seems very polite_ , Mòrag thought. Amalthus came in the room with Niranira not far behind. They take their seats.

“My deepest thanks to you for agreeing to this ceasefire, Queen Raqura, Emperor Niall,” Amalthus opened up the meeting.

“As I recall from the Osirian Treaty of 350 years ago… the Praetorium was to refrain from intervention in times of war. And yet here you are, intervening. But I trust you have a suitable justification, Your Eminence?” asked Raqura.

“Naturally. But first, to insure impartiality in these negotiations, may I present Niranira, Acting Chairman of the Argentum Trade Guild.”

As he was speaking the door to the study room opened with Zeke walking inside. “Furthermore, representing the Tantalese… His Highness, the Crown Prince, Ozychlyrus Brounev Tantal will also be attending,” the Praetor continued.

One of Raqura’s retainers, Mason, was surprised by Zeke’s presence. “The Crown Prince?! The prodigal prince of Tantal…”

Mòrag closes her eyes and gave a soft “Hehe” under her breath. _That’s my man. Between me, him, Niall, Niranira, and Mythra, Raqura will see too much evidence that goes against the idea we illegally started a war_ , she thought with a smile.

“Now it seems Mor Ardain has been accused of a unilateral breach of treaty in this matter. Emperor Niall, I open the floor to you. Is there anything you wish to say?” Amalthus invites Niall to speak.

“While we are still conducting investigations into the cause, it cannot be denied that weaponry belonging to our forces was discharged against Uraya. Regardless of any possible reason and circumstance we are prepared to offer recompense for this grave offence,” he told the Queen.

“So you want to settle this with money…?” she asks.

“We will provide any compensation deemed necessary.”

Raqura shook her head. “Perhaps I am misunderstanding. To my ears, it sounds almost as if you mean to imply that the blame for these offences does not lie with Your Majesty at all!” She couldn’t understand how this attack happened without Mor Ardain’s say-so.

“We are investigating. I ask that we not draw any hasty conclusions,” Niall reminded her.

“What need is there for investigation? I believe a cause has already been established. There are witnesses,” Amalthus informed both parties.

“And that would be?”

Amalthus gestures to Mòrag and Zeke. Zeke puts his head on his hands, ready to tackle his first big political moment. “Our two witnesses in this meeting are Special Inquisitor Mòrag and Prince Ozychlyrus. You may speak.”

“The perpetrator of this attack was none other than Jin, the leader of Torna. He snuck into our excavation site and stole one of the Judicium Titan Weapons to instigate a war between our two countries,” Mòrag began. “When one of my men sent the report to me and Brighid, we immediately went to talk with Senator Roderich, who was also paying a visit in Indol. We found out he did not order the attack, so we went to the site of the crime itself.”

“With the help of the late Fan la Norne, we managed to board the Titan’s back and confronted Jin. While we did stop the attack, Jin still managed to murder Fan in cold blood. From there you know the rest,” Zeke told Raqura.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What a preposterous notion! The people you speak of are merely a terrorist group!” Raqura exclaims. “How could they possibly command that measure of-?”

“It’s the truth,” Zeke interrupted her, causing her to turn her head. “I, Ozychlyrus, swear this in the name of King Eulogimenos Tantal.”

“Can confirm Ex-Chairman Bana give these people some kind of supplies. Military supplies, me thinks. And in great number, yes,” Niranira backed up their hearing.

“But why would-?”

“What if I were to tell you that the Aegis Malos, who razed the world five centuries ago, was involved?” Amalthus asked Raqura.

“Ridiculous. Everyone knows he disappeared in a blaze of flame!”

“He’s very much alive, believe me,” said Zeke. “That arsehole – I mean, the Aegis – has confronted us in person. And if my word is not enough for you…”

An Indoline monk went to open the door back up. Mythra walked into the room, stunning Raqura. “A Blade?! But-but that Core Crystal…!”

“This is another Aegis, named Mythra. Your Highness has heard of her, surely?” Zeke introduced her.

“So the rumors that reached us were true…. Who is its Driver?”

_Lady, I think it’s pretty obvious I’m a girl,_ thought Mythra.

“If you knew that, I daresay your surprise would be even greater,” said Zeke. “But that is not the matter we are here to discuss, Your Highness. This is a dire situation…”

Mythra told Raqura her story of how she was reawakened and her encounters with Malos and the rest of Torna. “I’ve noticed something about Malos. He’s an Aegis… But you wouldn’t know it from how he’s fighting. I think…I’m pretty sure he’s damaged in some way.”

“You mean he can’t use the full extent of his powers?” Mason asked.

“The wounds I dealt in our battle long ago may not be completely healed. His end goal is Elysium. He wants to go back to the place he was born. There he can heal until his powers have recovered. If Malos is allowed to restore himself…”

Raqura came to a realization about this Torna situation. “The horrors of five centuries past will return…”

“Or worse still. Malos’s goal is simple. He means to destroy humanity in its entirety,” Mythra offered an alternative.

“Why would anyone desire that?” Niall asked.

“Perhaps he doesn’t even need a reason. It seems to be a deep-seated drive. An instinct. As natural as breathing,” Mythra explained.

The room was silent for a minute, before Amalthus broke it. “All of this is my responsibility.”

“Praetor Amalthus? Whatever do you mean?” said Niall.

“It was none other than I who awakened Malos and unleashed him upon the world.”

“So, Your Eminence… the rumor that you were once Malos’s Driver is…” Raqura said.

“I never intended to obscure the truth. It is writ plain for all to see in history books. I was a fool… I was to prevent such foolishness that all passage to the World Tree was forbidden after the Aegis War. However, it has become apparent that the laws of men do not apply to Malos…” He paused briefly. “The time may have come… to lift that restriction…”

* * *

The meeting was adjourned, and all the parties returned to their ships. Before Mòrag left to accompany Niall, she and Zeke had a talk in Seoris Plaza. “Zeke. No, Ozychlyrus. I want to tell you, that I am grateful for you helping us with convincing Queen Raqura,” Mòrag thanked him.

“Zeke is just fine, Mòrag. You don’t have to be formal with me. But, you’re welcome. Although, you should also thank-“

“I already thanked Mythra and Niranira for their cooperation. I was… just saving the best for la-“ She quickly cuts herself off. _Dammit! Mòrag, you just blew your cover!_ she thought.

“Mòrag, you’re kind of blushing. I know I’m pretty great and all, but-“

“Oh… I am?” “Yeah.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just…happy that we managed to pull that off. So again, thank you so much,” she said with a smile.

“You are most welcome,” Zeke said, smiling back. The two soaked in the nightlife of Indol. People playing games, an artist painting the ships at the port, and a couple sharing their time together.

_If it could only be us…_ thought Zeke, looking at the couple.

Mòrag saw them too. _I wish we can be just like them…_ she dreamt.

“Well it’s getting late. We should be attending Fan’s funeral tomorrow. You going to be busy afterwards?” Zeke asked Mòrag.

“Unfortunately, yes. His Majesty and Queen Raqura are scheduling a peace talk shortly after the funeral. It will be solely for Ardainian and Urayan ears only, so you will not be allowed to participate,” she said.

“Well, that’s a shame. Say speaking of, how did I do with the diplomatic stuff? I’m a bit rusty with the talks. You know how long ten years since your last lesson can be,” Zeke wanted her opinion.

“I think you did just fine. You had that one slipup, but you quickly recovered,” Mòrag praised. “Not bad for someone that hasn’t been in politics most of his adult life.”

“Pff. I'll have you know I have a pretty sharp memory."

Mòrag laughed a little. "I'm sure you do. I was merely teasing."

"I thought that was the case. Well, I hope you have a good night, Mòrag.” “You too, Zeke.” They parted ways and turned in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I altered the unspoken dialogue between cutscenes just a little bit to fit what I already have established.  
> -The really weird thing about the summit cutscene is that Mòrag says that both her and Brighid are heading to the meeting before it, yet I don't think we even see Brighid in said cutscene.  
> -We're never given names for Raqura's retainers, so I had to pick one.  
> -I liked writing the post-summit dialogue. I originally had different plans for that (don't worry, these plans show up later!), but I felt this was more appropriate given what's currently happening.  
> -I have finished making the Christmas chapter last night! I hope you all are looking forward to it.


	10. Follow Your Heart

Zeke, Mòrag, Brighid, and Pandoria were all standing by one another for the funeral, alongside Emperor Niall and Aegaeon. Pandoria was sobbing as it continued.

“Zeke, were Pandoria and Fan la Norne friends?” Brighid whispered to him.

“More like besties, if you ask me. In the five years I’ve been here, it’s just me and her that have been close friends with Pandoria. Pandy awakened not long after my mom passed away. For a while, dad didn’t let me leave the palace grounds in fear I would run off again. Because of this, we missed having friends. Even more so when we were just wandering around Alrest. Now, we did meet you and Mòrag in Alba Cavanich, but that was only for a brief while. It wasn’t before we started working at the Praetorium we settled somewhere. When Pandoria and Fan met, they didn’t get along at first. But, as time moved on, they started to realize they like some of the same stuff,” Zeke whispers back.

“I see. Then I know what I must do.”

“Hmm?”

“It's nothing. Thank you for telling me, Zeke.”

“No problem. Looks like they’re starting to let the crowd pay their respects. We should go,” he said. “Right.”

* * *

When the funeral was finished, Mòrag and Brighid went with Niall and Aegaeon to prepare for the session with Uraya. Zeke and Pandoria went with Rex and his friends on behalf of the Praetor. When they went inside the audience chamber, they saw Amalthus manipulating a helix of Core Crystals. Specs of ether floated around the Praetor. When he was done, he turned to see his guests. “Did I keep you waiting?”

“No, not really. What... were you doing?” asked Rex.

“I was cleansing the Core Crystals. It markedly increases their resonance success rate. Bonding with a Crystal carries certain risks, you understand…”

“I know.”

“When I became the Driver of an Aegis, this power was awakened in me,” Amalthus explained.

“….So I might be able to do it too?” Rex pondered. “Who knows. Different people are cut out for different things…”

“Right, yeah.”

“Now then. My work is done for the day. Come with me.”

* * *

In the study, Amalthus gave Rex and his friends a task. The mission: to retrieve the Omega Fetter in Tantal in order to remove the Great Void around the World Tree. Zeke offered to serve as a guide to Tantal, given that is his homeland. In one of the guest rooms, Zeke revealed that the ancestors of the Tantalese are the old Tornans and explains why he was upset by Jin’s organization using the name of Torna. They arrived at the port, getting ready to borrow a ship. Wandering around were a lot of Ardainian and Urayan soldiers.

“Hmm… Tensions seem high,” said Nia.

“From what I gather, it seems an official summit is to be held between Mor Ardain and Uraya,” Dromarch informed the others.

“A summit? You mean, about the recent punch-up? But I thought…”

“Didn’t Praetor Amalthus get them to stop and sort it all out?” asked Rex.

“Perhaps there are some discussions they would prefer Indol not be privy to,” Dromarch speculated.

“Besides, Uraya doesn’t like to associate too closely with Indol,” Zeke said. “They’d hate to be seen as acquiescing to the Praetor’s will. Gotta keep up appearances, you know?”

“Ac---quiescing? You what?” Nia wasn’t familiar with the word.

“Like, letting him tell ‘em what’s what.”

“Hah, for such a spanner you sure use some big words. How come?”

“Stop calling me that! Buzz off, kitty-no-mates!” Zeke wasn’t having any of Nia’s sass. “Anyway, this summit would explain why Mòrag isn’t around…” _And how we both wish she didn’t have to go…_

“Indeed. She has much to attend to,” Dromarch agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Ardainian Battleship, Niall, Aegaeon, Brighid, and Mòrag were discussing how to appease Uraya. “Shared sovereignty over Gormott?” Mòrag was a little surprised by Niall’s decision.

“Yes. I don’t think anything less will be sufficient to placate them,” her cousin spoke.

“The Senate would never approve it…” Mòrag wasn’t sure how this plan would succeed.

“I can overrule them by decree. Of course, I would need to secure Senator Roderich’s cooperation.”

“Imperial decree? If it’s come to that… Well then I cannot dissent. I cannot help but admire your courage, Your Majesty,” Mòrag said with her hand on her chest.

“That means a lot, coming from you.”

A knock at the door, a yellow Nopon came running in as fast as he could. “Acting Chairman Niranira.”

“Sorry for intrude. Is emergency, so Niranira take liberty of drop by unannounced…” he apologized.

“You certainly look troubled, Chairman. So… What is this emergency you speak of?” Niall asked, concerned.

“Well… Niranira’s men caught word that Ex-Chairman is planning assassination plot.”

“…Assassination?!” Niall dreads.

“If Bana make it look like Mor Ardain killed Queen Raqura, war will happen,” Niranira went further into detail.

Mòrag gazed down at the floor, absorbing the information. _If that happens, chaos will be unleashed upon Alrest. We cannot allow that to happen,_ thought Mòrag.

“Emperor Niall, may I request something?”

“Go ahead, Chairman.”

“Niranira prefers if this were done secretly. Niranira wishes to not taint image of Argentum.” Niall crosses his arms.

“Your Majesty, if I will.” “Yes, sister?”

“It would hasty to quickly gather some of our men to search for Bana. Uraya will be suspicious of our activity if we do that. Which is why I have a solution,” Mòrag told him. They came up with an idea to end Bana’s schemes.

* * *

“So, we can make our way to Tantal from here. I assume the Praetor has a ship waiting for us,” Zeke figured.

“Hey, Shellhead,” Nia said.

“What?”

“Are we really going to just leave Mòrag behind?”

Zeke knew this question would be brought up, as much as he didn’t like the idea. “Who’s leavin’ anyone? She’s got her own priorities, y’know?”

“Yeah, but still…” Nia was concerned about how he felt about the situation.

“Anyway, her schedule is filled with official duties right now,” Azurda reminds them that she is a government official.

“For sure. It’s just a bit of a shame, is all. You know, since we came all this way together,” said Rex.

“I guess I know how you feel, chum.” Seeing out of his peripheral, he spots a lady dressed in red and black with a blue-haired Blade walking along side her. “Uh? Speak of the devil…” _This is odd. Doesn’t she have a meeting to attend to? Is she seeing us off?_ Zeke thought.

“Ah, good. I was afraid you all left already. There is something I wish to tell you all,” Mòrag said.

* * *

She explains what Niranira told her and Niall. “Bana’s going for the summit?” said Rex.

“On top of everything, an assassination attempt?” Azurda was shocked.

“If blood gets spilled at the summit, it’ll mean war,” Brighid warns them.

“War’s good for business, after all,” said Zeke. “I guess he wants to use that to get himself back in with the Guild…”

“Why, that little… I was wondering where he’d slunk off to! What a sneaky git…” Rex sneered.

“It seems Acting Chairman Niranira wishes to take care of this incident covertly, to avoid it reflecting badly upon the Guild,” Mòrag informed her colleagues.

“So you came to us?”

“If we mobilized the army, the whole thing will become public.“

“Oh, I get it. So we're a more convenient solution,” Nia grasped.

“I’m not forcing you. If you refuse, Brighid and I will do what we can alone,” Mòrag said.

“Ah, come off it, lady. You wouldn’t even think of dragging us into this if you thought you could handle it on your own,” Zeke knew.

_Wow, you certainly read me like a book._ “I suppose not. You know Bana as well as I. There’s no telling what he might be plotting,” said Mòrag.

“According to Acting Chairman Niranira, several giant weapons were being built at the factory where we last saw him. And one of them is currently unaccounted for,” Brighid gave her intel.

“Giant… weapons…” Tora racks his brain.

“Got it. Beside, you know. We’ve got our own score to settle with him,” Rex agreed to her terms.

“Thank you. It will be easier to focus on my duties knowing you are on the case. Good luck,” Mòrag encouraged them, now that some weight has been lifted from her shoulder.

“Leave it to us!”

* * *

After making preparations in the board room, Mòrag heard a loud boom in the hanger. _What in Alrest was that?!_ “Brighid. Niall, Aegaeon. We must make haste.”

“Right!” They ran as fast as the can to the hanger to find Raqura and her retainers, Rex and his allies, and a giant artificial Blade with a massive G on its forehead.

“What’s going on?!” Niall cried out. He was then confused by the robot before him: Rosa. “Wh-what’s that?!"

The pilot of the mech, Bana, chuckles to himself. “Even Emperor come straight to Bana! Convenient little moth to flame!”

“Come on, Bana. Cut the bad-guy talk and accept you’ve lost. You know you won’t get away with it, with all these witnesses here!” Nia was not amused.

“If Bana simply kill everyone, then nobody blab! Victory of Bana is assured…” Bana mocks the puny people before him.

“You know we can’t let you do that!” Rex said, as everyone drew their weapons.

Bana continues to laugh maniacally. “You think you handle the power of upgraded Giga Rosa?! Things go very different this time!”

The battle ensues, with Zeke using his sword to catapult Nia into the air. She throws her rings at the spikes on Rosa’s head, slicing them off. Roc catches her and brings her back to the ground. Tora raises his shield for Rex to jump on. Rex leaps from the shield and delivers a slash of light across the face of Rosa. Tora then passes the shield to Poppi, as she dive-bombs the robot with the drill. Zeke and Pandoria wreathed themselves in lightning, as they rapidly hack and slash at the machine’s body. Bana deploys some missiles, which Zeke and Rex sent flying back at him.

“Ready, chum?”

“You got it! Pyra!” “I’m here!” Mythra swapped back to Pyra.

“Let’s go, Pandy!” “Yeah!” The two pairs ran behind Bana from two different directions. They leapt into the air and shout in tandem, “Cross… Saber!!!!”

Zeke threw a wave of lightning, while Rex through a wave of fire, striking Rosa from behind in an elemental “X”. “Gaaah!” Bana yells as Giga Rosa fell to the ground, breaking the glass. The greedy Nopon fell down onto the ground.

“Uggh…” Bana said in a slight daze. “How…” He looks back at the defeated machine. “Even Giga Rosa defeated by these nasty meddling kids…”

Mòrag step forward and said, “This ends here, Bana. You are under arrest. The Praetorium will handle the judgment. Assassination is a serious matter. Your sentence will be harsh,” she damned him.

Raqura followed beside her and crosses her arms. “So the mercantile genius Bana meets an inglorious end before my very eyes. Pitiful,” she looked down at him.

“Grr… Bana is…” the Nopon muttered. 

“Hmm?” _What is he doing?_ Mòrag wondered.

“Bana is not kind of man to go down like this!” He pulls out a controller with a big red button with a yellow “G” on it. “Ah!” Everyone flinched knowing what Bana is planning. “If I go down, I take you with me!” Bana was threatening to blow himself up to destroy them. Bana was about to press the button for self-destruction.

“Watch out-!” Niall ran to Bana to stop his madness. “Aegaeon!”

“As you wish!” The Water Blade conjured up a shield of water around everyone else as they braced for impact. Mòrag sees Niall ran outside the barrier. Horror crept onto her face once he was outside. Bana presses the button with his wing, triggering the self-destruct sequence of Rosa. Bana was blown back. As a general rule, Nopon are ridiculously hard to kill. Niall took the brunt of the blast, as parts of his uniform were covered in ash. Raqura gasps at what just happened. Niall stood there, warn out from the explosion.

“Niall Ardanach… You… You sought to…protect us?” Raqura was touched by his bravery.

Niall looks over with a satisfied look. _I… I did it._ “I’m…glad…” he murmured.

He falls to the ground, causing Mòrag to rush to his aid. “Majesty!” She picks up her brother, hoping that he hangs on. “Majesty!!!” _Please no. Niall, you can’t leave me yet. Don’t die… don’t die!_ Mòrag was checking frequently to make sure he still had a pulse. “Your Majesty! Please, no!” _You’re the only family I have left! Please!_

“Your Majesty… I have failed you…” Aegaeon regretfully said, as his body faded into ether, leaving behind a dormant Core Crystal.

“I…it can’t be… To protect us, you… Please, wake up! Niall!” Tears were running down Mòrag’s face. “Niall!” she cries out. Everyone watching felt her emotions ring out.

Zeke couldn’t bear seeing her like this. _Dammit all! Why, Bana, why?! The only family she’s got left and you… He helped me all those years ago… and I never got the chance to pay him back… Mòrag..._ _Niall..._ Zeke thought.

“Mòrag…” Rex spoke softly.

Nia stared at the scene in front of her. _I… I can’t take it anymore… I need to do something…_ “Dromarch.”

“Yes?”

“Distract the others…” she whispers.

“Distract…? I’m not sure I… N-no! My Lady, you cannot-!” Dromarch realized what she was about to do.

“There’s still time… Hurry!”

“Yes…my lady.” Dromarch ran to the entrance where they came from. “There are more of them!” he shouted.

“Where?!” _I need to know who or what wanted Niall dead!_ Mòrag wanted to get to the source.

“What’d you say?!” Zeke confounded. _Did… Bana actually have minions?!_

“This way. The rest of you should get to safety!” Dromarch lead the charge into the airship.

“Chum!”

“I'm on it!” Rex and co followed suit, while the non-combatants left the airship.

Mòrag looked down at her brother. _I swear I will avenge you, Niall_ , she thought with her eyes closed. She gently placed Niall onto the ground and hurried to join the others.

Nia went over to the young emperor and changed to Blade form. _I’ve got one shot at this. I will save you, Niall!_ Nia was determined.

* * *

Mòrag and the others searched frantically throughout the airship, looking for the terrorists Dromarch thought he saw. The search didn’t bear anything. “What d’you mean, you imagined it?! You got us all in a proper tizzy!” Zeke didn’t like what the tiger did, and he can only imagine what Mòrag was thinking.

“My apologies… I thought I spied silhouettes…” Dromarch told a white lie. “I did not mean to cause trouble.”

Mòrag looked down sadly. _Bana is going to be arrested, but...we’ve lost Niall. What is going to happen for Mor Ardain?_ A stream of thoughts ran through her mind, trying to piece together what has and is going to happen.

Her thought of concentration was broken when a certain Gormotti called out, “Heeey!” Everyone turned to see Nia waving at them from where Niall was. _Nia? And… wait. Are… are Niall’s eyes open?!_

“Hey! You guys! His Majesty the Emperor is awake!” Nia gleefully said, as Niall tried to get up.

“What?!” _Niall?! He... he’s still alive!_

“Can it be?!” Brighid exclaims.

Mòrag rushes over as Nia helps the Emperor up. “Majesty!” Mòrag gave Niall a big hug. She looks down at him.

“I apologize…for making you worry…” he told her.

“Majesty… It’s… It’s a miracle…” Mòrag had tears of joy running down her face. _Thank the Architect you are all right!_

Everyone else came around the two siblings reuniting. “When Aegaeon returned to his core, I was certain we had lost you…” Brighid was relieved.

“Honesty… you call yourselves soldiers? First aid? Anyone heard of it?” said Nia.

“But…his wounds…”

“Just scratches. Pfft. Nothing me and Dromarch can’t handle.”

“You saved-?!”

Nia giggles, as Mòrag was grateful. _So that was just a stunt so you wouldn’t get stressed._ “Thank you, Nia. I truly don’t know how to… I will never be able to repay you for what you-“

“Oh, don’t sweat it. Let’s just say you owe me one. That’ll do fine, right?” Nia was just glad to help.

“Nia…”

“Well, I think it would be best if we just postpone the summit and do it via ethercast. I still feel a bit tired,” Niall said.

“Yes, of course. I will go tell Queen Raqura the news,” said Mòrag.

“Lady Mòrag, you’re already stressed enough. I will do it in your stead,” Brighid offered.

“But I should-“

“She’s right you know. You should take it easy for the next couple of days,” Zeke told her.

Mòrag looks back at him. _They’re both right. I need to relax._ “Alright. I’ll leave this in your hands, Brighid. Your Majesty, should we begin preparing to depart?”

“I wouldn’t mind getting started,” he replied.

“I’ll go tell the Praetor you guys are going soon. Safe trip, you guys!” Zeke sees himself out, with the rest of the party following suite. Once Brighid told Raqura the news, they returned to Mor Ardain and stayed for the rest of the day.

* * *

It was morning. Niall stood at his desk in the throne room with three stacks of paper lined up. “You shouldn’t be up,” a woman’s voice told him. He turns around to see Mòrag. “It’s only been one day… Please don’t strain yourself.”

He looks back at the papers and said, “Half a day off and look at all this paperwork! I swear, it’s like they don’t want me to sleep at all!” he said weakly, still tired from the incident.

“Majesty…”

He looks back at Mòrag. “Special Inquisitor. I hereby issue you new orders. It is my wish that you travel with the Aegis as an emissary of the Empire. Guard her and defend her against her enemies until she reaches Tantal,” he orders.

“Guard…the Aegis?”

“I’ve already discussed it with His Eminence.”

“Forgive me. Your Majesty, I cannot accept,” she rejects the offer. “Just think about what happened yesterday! It would be sheer foolishness for me to leave your side!”

“Is that so?”

“Huh?”

“I can see it in your eyes. It’s clear that the Aegis or rather, that boy, has made a great impression on you.”

“That’s not-“ she denied. “I am your… Special Inquisitor. Ensuring Your Majesty’s safety is my only concern. To abandon that duty and go traveling…”

Niall then looks at the banner above the throne. Mòrag looks at the desk and notices a Core Crystal. “Is this…Aegaeon’s…?”

“A Driver who cannot even protect himself is no Driver at all. Yesterday’s events have made me keenly aware that I have no aptitude for it. It would be of more use in your hands,” Niall offers.

“Majesty…” _Please tell me you’re not being serious…_

“The world is changing, Mòrag. I trust you more than anyone to lend that boy the wisdom and strength he will need.” Mòrag was speechless.

“I miss it, you know. Lake Yewtle, in Gormott,” the Emperor reminisced.

“…What?”

“Remember when the two of us would shake off the servants and go swimming there?”

“Ah… Yes. Of course.” _Why are you bring this up now, Your Majesty?_

“Kids from the nearby village would come too. Good times.”

“Majesty…”

“If Mor Ardain… No, the whole of Alrest could be like that again… Wouldn’t it be beautiful…?” he asks.

“Is that my new duty, then?”

Niall looks back at the throne. “In truth, it should have been you sitting in this chair right now…”

Mòrag looks at Niall and reminded him, “The imperial line has always passed from father to son. On the day Your Majesty was born, that’s exactly what happened. I knew that day would come. It came as no surprise.”

“You were raised by my father to take the throne of the Empire. As befits the daughter of my Lord Uncle Eandraig.”

“And I am grateful for it. If not for him, I would have never have met Brighid. Never have met…them. I would have missed out on so much,” she admits.

“There. Those are your true feelings. A magnificent power resides in you. Mòrag, power like yours exists to be used.”

“Niall…” Mòrag whispers softly.

“You’ve been tied down long enough. Follow your heart, Mòrag Ladair.”

_Follow… my heart…_ “I have no words. Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said with a smile. “Very well then. I hereby accept the task you have assigned to me.”

Niall nods in recognition. “That’s the Mòrag I know and love. Make me proud.”

Mòrag gave him a hug. “Thank you, so much, Niall. I will do everything in my power to insure everyone is safe,” she said. They part ways, as Mòrag gather Aegaeon’s Core Crystal and Brighid and took a private ship back to Indol.

* * *

Zeke and the others were once again preparing for the trip to Tantal.

Something caught Rex’s eye. “Hmm? That’s an…Ardainian ship,” he said.

“Meh meh? Did Mor Ardain forget something?” asked Tora.

“No, I don’t think that’s it. Take a closer look at who’s coming out,” said Pyra. A certain Special Inquisitor and her Blade walked out of the ship. Shortly afterwards, it departed back to Mor Ardain.

_…Mòrag? I thought you would still be with Niall,_ Zeke wonders.

“Miss Mòrag back!” Poppi cheered.

“Well, I wonder why she decided to come back,” Dromarch ponders.

“Good to see you back, Flames,” Zeke welcomed her.

“It’s good to be back, Bolt,” she replies.

_Are they using pet names?_ thought Nia.

“So what brings you back here, Mòrag?” asked Rex.

“Well…” She explains her mission from Niall.

* * *

“…So that’s how it is. It seems our paths continue to entwine,” Mòrag finished.

“That’s awesome news! To be honest, I was really hoping there was some way you could stick around. I was just thinking about asking you myself,” said Rex.

“Saved you the trouble, did I?”

“That you did! Thanks a bunch, Mòrag.” Rex stretches out his arm for a handshake, welcoming her back to the team. She accepts it.

“Right then. Let’s hurry onto the ship for Tantal, yeah?” Zeke said after their shake.

“Very well. Let us depart,” Mòrag agreed.

Zeke brought some of the luggage on board with help from some of the Blades and Rex. Nia, Dromarch, and Pandoria finished getting all the supplies together. Zeke then payed for the ride. _Next stop, home..._ he said as the ship left the port.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I like the idea that Pandoria and Fan/Haze were good friends. We only saw the funeral from Rex, Mythra/Pyra, and Nia's perspective, so I kind of wondered where our royals were up to.  
> -I have to say, the event at the summit and the talk with Niall are probably some of my favorite scenes with Mòrag. Her whole character arc in Xenoblade 2 is about trying to find her place in life, which is something I quite relate to.  
> -Zeke feels like he owes Niall for helping him not go to jail. I'm probably going to explore that later in the story.  
> -Let's be real here, Zeke and Mòrag would definitely call each other "Bolt" and "Flames".  
> -Next chapter is going to have a very fluffy moment, kind of like snow. I'm not sure if I want to post Chapter 11 at midnight on the 24th or first thing in the morning on Christmas.


	11. Confessions in the Cold

Inside the boat, Mòrag decides to stop by Zeke’s room. The boat was large enough so that each Driver and Blade may have their own. Additionally, there were some spare rooms, which were occupied by each Driver’s other Blades. “May I come in?” she asked.

“Sure, be my guest.” Zeke was looking at his sigil.

“Thinking about home, are we?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long time since I was given the boot. I’m sure dad’s gotten over it by now.”

“I’m sure he has.” Mòrag looks over Zeke shoulder and notices a Core Crystal. “Zeke? Where did you get that?”

He looks over to the desk behind him. “Oh, this? After you guys left, we decided to go do some questing in Temperantia. There were rumors that a Core Crystal hunter was lurking around there.”

_Crystal hunter…_ “Did they happen to have a Blade with an eyepatch?”

“Actually, yeah. That Blade seemed to recognize Praxis, so I guess they knew each other in her past life. She didn’t like how her old Driver was acting towards her and she wanted to be with Praxis. So she offed her Driver and returned to her core,” he said pointing at the crystal.

“It did seem like he only saw them as tools, rather than a companion. We encountered them before we went to Indol.”

“Well you already gave me Praxis’s core, so I figured, why don’t you be this Blade’s Driver. It’s only fair we make up for not being there for both encounters,” he said holding the core.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Mòrag receives the crystal from his hand and placed it in her coat pocket. “I would also like to mention that Niall is letting me be Aegaeon’s Driver. He said he wasn’t up to the task…”

“Poor kid.”

“Yeah…”

“That assassination attempt really did a number on both of your psyche.”

“I just hope that I never have to go through that again. Niall is the only family member I have left, and if anything were to happen to him…” Zeke hugs Mòrag. “Zeke?”

“It’s ok. I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Is this for earlier in the week?”

“You can say that.”

Mòrag appreciated the sentiment and returned the hug. “Thank you.” They shared this little moment.

“Well, I better go check on everyone else. We should be approaching Tantal now.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit.”

* * *

After having a chat with Rex, Zeke went with Pandoria to the front of the boat and brought Genbu back to the surface of the Cloud Sea. “Whoa… It’s just a bigger version of Turters,” gasped Nia.

“It’s called Genbu,” Zeke said as he pets his turtle.

_Wait, he never told me he had a pet,_ Mòrag noticed.

“It’s the same, like, Titan-type as Uraya. Normally it’s submerged in the Cloud Sea.”

Pandoria turns to the group and says, “Even in early fall, it can get pretty cold inside Tantal. Mind you don’t freeze!”

“Brr… I really can’t stand the cold…” Nia shivered just thinking about it.

“I can provide my own warmth. You can stay close to me if you like,” Brighid said, conjuring a blue flame.

“Me as well,” said Mythra. She switches to Pyra and creates her own flame.

“You guys are pretty handy to have around,” Nia told them.

“Well it is our trademark, right?” Pyra asks Brighid.

“Essentially.”

Nia looks over at Zeke. “Aren’t you gonna be cold like that, Shellhead?”

“I’m used to it. I’ll be dandy.”

“He’s naturally dense, it’s good insulation,” mocked Pandoria.

“Oh. Makes sense,” Rex and Nia said tin unison.

“Stop encouraging her! Gang of bullies!” said Zeke. Mòrag covered her mouth briefly to hide her smile.

* * *

The ship arrived at Genbu Port. Mòrag awakens Aegaeon before they stepped off the boat. “I see you’ve returned, Aegaeon.”

“Did you know me in my previous life?”

“I did. And you are an exception. Your old Driver is still alive, miraculously.”

Aegaeon smiled. “Hmm, that is good to know,” he said. “I would like to meet them at some point.”

“I can promise that. For now, we have a mission in Tantal and I would like you to assist us.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

They were the last ones to leave the ship. “Everyone, I would like to reintroduce Aegaeon to all of you,” said Mòrag.

“It is so good to see you once more,” said Brighid.

“Do I know you?”

“Brighid is your counterpart. Together, you are the Jewels of Mor Ardain,” his Driver explained.

“I see. Well, it is good to meet a familiar friend.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“So, where are we heading to?” asked Rex.

“You see that city over in the distance? That’s Theosoir, the capital. We’re probably not going to get there in one night. Even for us Tantalese, the nights here can be devastating. So I’d advise we find some ruins to stay for the night,” Zeke answered.

“Got it,” he replies.

They begin walking through the snowfield, seeing some of the native fauna. “Never seen something like those before,” Nia observed. Some Aries were browsing nearby.

“Tantal’s climate kind of forces everything living on it to adapt to it. It’s why everything is so fluffy!” said Pandoria.

* * *

They eventually made it to some structures poking out of the snow. “This here is Little Banerro Ruins. There used to be a small village up here, but that got wiped out a few decades back. Hopefully some stuff around here still works,” Zeke said, as he looks around. The ruins consisted of mainly walls, but there was a section that still had a cover.

“Hmm, how about over there.” Zeke was pointing at the area. It had a symbol that resembled a singular flame: Addam’s crest. Below it was an opening for a furnace. There were scraps of cloth littered around the floor, partially covered with snow.

“Pyra, Brighid. Would you two mind helping us start a fire?” Mòrag requested. They nod.

“While you guys do that, let’s get some firewood. How about it Tora?” Rex asked the Nopon.

“Sure thing Rex-Rex! With super strength of Poppi, no branch is hard to carry!”

“Great. Say Mòrag, that Core Crystal seems to be glowing now. Why don’t you awaken her?” Zeke suggested as Rex, Roc, Tora, Poppi, and Wulfric all went to gather firewood nearby.

“I guess I will.” Mòrag bonds with the crystal, awakening Theory inside. Zeke gave a smile before heading over to get some fire material.

“Theory! Your back!” cried Praxis.

“Who... are you?”

“Oh, right. You went back to your Core Crystal. I’m Praxis!”

“Are you another one of my Driver’s Blades?”

“No, that would be the man standing over there collecting some branches.” Mòrag pointed at Zeke, who almost dropped all the wood he was holding.

“You know, seeing you two outside of battle, you kind of look like sisters,” Nia said.

“Really? I barely even know her.”

“But, we kind of were like sisters in a past life.”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” Theory questions.

“Anyway, hey Mòrag. You want to help Boreas, Pandoria, Crossette, and me with the food while everyone else gets the fire together?” asked Nia.

“Very well. Let’s see how we can put this to good use.”

Boreas acted as a taste-tester, Pandoria gave out instructions for what they were cooking, and Crossette and Mòrag did the work. Rex and the others managed to get a fire going, so Pyra and Zeke decided to help out. “I didn’t know you could cook, Mòrag,” Zeke asked.

“This is actually my third time. While I did do some of the small jobs in the lower ranks, I never actually cooked, surprisingly. We tried cooking an Argentum Monkfish a while back on the way to Leftheria, but the results were...unfortunate, to put it bluntly. I tried my hand again when we were in Fonsett, and with Pyra and Corinne’s help, it turned out better. I’m guessing you’ve had experience?”

“Well when you’re camping out in the wilderness, someone’s got to do it. Pandoria might know how to cook something, but she’s not particularly good at doing it, so I was often the one doing it. Anyway, what are we making?”

“Pandoria suggested we make some estral steak, grilled salmon in herbs, and…some Addam’s embercakes? Do you know what those are?”

“Ooo! I haven’t had one of these in forever! These things are a local specialty. They’re kind of like a round ball packed with spices. Really a quick way to warm yourself up.”

“I don’t think that’s how spices work…” Mòrag said under her breath.

* * *

After preparations, the meal was served. Praxis and Theory bonded over the course of dinner, as did Brighid, Pandoria, and Aegaeon. Crossette was busy jotting down notes as she tried out the food. Boreas, meanwhile, was stealing some food off of Tora’s plate, which gave Rex, Nia, and Mòrag a laugh when he looked back to see his plate a little less full.

“Well, you going to give it a try?” Zeke asked Mòrag. She finished most of her meal except the embercake.

“I’m not particularly one for spicy foods.”

“That’s a little surprising. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Brighid looks over to Zeke. “Zeke, I would advise you not to encourage Lady Mòrag. She get’s very competitive easily,” she whispers. But it was too late. She already ate it.

“I’ve never seen anyone eat a whole one before. Usually you’re just supposed to take a few bites at a time,” Zeke comments.

Her face was already turning red from the heat. Mòrag quickly finished the rest of her drink. “Why didn’t you tell me it was that spicy?!” she almost gagged.

“You didn’t ask! The heat doesn’t linger that long after a drink.”

“Huh. It’s starting to go back to normal.”

“Honestly, Mòrag, I’m getting some déjà vu over here.” Brighid wanted to ask when this happened, but decided not to.

The sun was setting, causing the area to grow darker. “Well, I guess we better get some shut eye,” said Zeke.

“Is it going to be dangerous at night?” asked Crossette.

“It shouldn't be around here. Usually the only thing up here are bunnits. But we can have someone out on nightwatch,” he answers.

“Allow me. If anything shows up, I would like to do some practice,” Aegaeon volunteered.

“I would like to take turns with him,” said Wulfric.

“With big voice of Wulfric, monsters wouldn’t want to come near,” Tora added on.

“Yeah!”

“Alright, we’ll leave you guys up to it then,” allowed Rex.

* * *

Everyone but Aegaeon went to bed. Wulfric just swapped places with him. Tora had on a sleeping mask, while Nia and Dromarch wore matching nightcaps. Brighid was still awake, writing in her diary. Praxis and Theory slept beside each other, as Boreas was drooling on Dromarch’s tail.

“You still up?” Zeke asked Mòrag.

“Now I am. What is it?”

Zeke pulls out a bottle of wine from a bag, along with two cups. “What’s this for?”

“I just want to do a toast.”

“A toast? Zeke, it’s getting late.”

“I didn’t even tell you what it’s for. It’s for our reunion after all these years. I meant to do it earlier in the week, but well…you know…”

“I completely understand.” She picks up one of the cups while Zeke pours into it.

“Can I say one thing before we do it?” Mòrag requested.

“Go on.”

“I am happy… that you kept our promise. And…I want to tell you something.” Zeke raised an eyebrow. “….I love you,” she whispers.

“Wha-?”

“You are not like any man I’ve met in my life. There’s something about your…electrifying personality that I like. You’re kind, handsome and always put someone else before yourself,” she confessed.

_Did…did she just do a pun?_ “Mòrag, I…um. I’ve got something I want to get off my chest as well.”

“Hmm?” _What could he mean?_ _Wait, is he going to-_

“At first glance, one may assume you have a cold exterior. But beneath that visage lies a fiery passion for everything you love and care about. You’re compassionate, beautiful, and always know the right thing to do. As we got to know each other, I realized just how warm and inviting you really are…. And I want to share some of that warmth with you. That’s why…I love you too.” _Architect, that was the cheesiest thing I’ve said. There’s no way she’s going to-_

Mòrag tried to control her laughter, trying to not wake anyone else up. “You really are something else, Zeke.” She was beaming.

He smiled back, coming to terms with how they both felt. They stared at each other lovingly for a minute before Zeke spoke.“I guess that about settles it then.”

“Now, how about that toast, partner,” Mòrag said holding up her glass.

“Right. To our bright future together and to peaceful times for the whole of Alrest.”

“Cheers!” they whispered in unison. Brighid overheard their conversation, and quickly jots it down as the last entry for the day. Nia’s ears twitched, with a small smirk coming across her face. Pyra and Pandoria weren’t completely asleep, but they looked pleased after hearing their confessions. The two lovebirds shared the next hour together, enjoying each other’s presence before falling asleep…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I originally wanted to do the confession earlier, but I felt it was 1) too soon, and 2) it was the night before Fan's funeral, not the most appropriate of times.  
> -As I alluded to in the earlier chapters, this scene is based on official artwork. Which one? It's based on the piece of artwork where the party was resting in Tantal by CHOCO, the designer for Praxis and Theory. Those two, along with Boreas, Aegaeon, and Roc, were included in said picture.  
> -You can find the picture here: https://preview.redd.it/nqe4u513egg21.jpg?width=5072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b0ec080c6213bd33dc081b7f81371b12a960f82  
> -I included Crossette and Wulfric just so there is a more rounded party. Also, Wulfric is one of my favorite Blades, so I may or may not be a little biased...  
> -I can’t be the only one that feels like Aegaeon and Roc are underutilized in Xenoblade 2’s story, right?  
> -I like the idea that Zeke is surprisingly good at cooking. Might explain why meats are one of his favorite pouch items.  
> -In case you're wondering, the punny confessions were done before Chuggaconroy suggested that Mòrag secretly likes puns in one episode of his Let's Play.  
> -As I said before, I’m going to take a small break over Christmas vacation, so look forward for the next chapter in January 2021!


	12. To Theosoir!

The sun started to rise, prompting Mòrag to get up. She notices that the fire is almost out, so she moves some of the firewood into the furnace. She then starts to boil some water for some morning tea. She sees that Aegaeon has fallen asleep. _So it’s as peaceful here as he said._ Zeke was starting to wake up, stretching his arms and giving a long yawn. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Mòrag teases. “Hope you didn’t drink too much.”

Still groggy from just waking up, Zeke stares at Mòrag. “I’ll have you know I’m not one to drink alcohol on the regular,” he whispers, trying not to stir anyone or let them know about their toast last night.

“I never said you were,” she said with a smile. “Now, why don’t you help me get breakfast ready?” Slipping his coat back on, he gets out the ingredients for breakfast. Neither one of them were in their full equipment, just a casual attire. Zeke’s pauldrons lay beside Mòrag’s hip and shoulder armor, along with the rest of her coat. The smell of cooking food was enough to wake up the rest of the group. The recipe for Tantalese porridge and poached fruit samod was simple enough that Pyra and Crossette didn’t need to go help.

* * *

Breakfast was served and everyone began to chat. Zeke and Mòrag sat beside each other, prompting Pandoria and Brighid to talk to each other. “Did you hear what they were talking about last night?” Pandoria spoke softly.

“I did and I have their little talk written down,” Brighid replies, keeping a low profile.

“That was sooo cute!”

“Keep your voice down. We don’t want word to get out soon.”

“Right, right, Brighid.” The looked at their Drivers, as they continued chatting.

“….Well, we should be able to arrive in Theosoir before noon,” Zeke estimates.

“Would you be afraid that anyone would recognize you?”

“Only if I take off my eyepatch and contacts, or if they see my family sigil. Otherwise, I can get in easy.” Zeke took a sip of tea.

“Say, Zeke?”

“What?”

“Do you…know that you talk in your sleep?”

“Huh?! N-no! Hehe…what ever gave you that idea?” he says, rubbing his neck.

“You were giving me compliments in your sleep. ‘Mòrag, you’re so gorgeous’, ’Look at you go!’, ‘That’s my girl!’, so on and so forth.”

“Oh…” he said embarrassingly. 

“But, thank you. That’s very sweet of you,” she smiled.

“…No one else heard, right?”

She shook her head. “Tora and Boreas were snoring very loudly. At one point, I heard Roc screech in surprise after getting hit by one of Tora’s wings. The only other person that might have heard would have been either Wulfric or Aegaeon. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

_Well, Pandy already knows I talk in my sleep, but she’s not one to spoil secrets. I guess she’s right_ , Zeke thought.

“What are you guys talking about,” Rex broke his train of thought.

“Oh, we were just talking about our schedule. We should be in Theosoir by lunchtime. Sound good?”

“Yeah!”

“Good, now you guys finish up so we can get packing.”

* * *

They finished getting everything together and resumed the trek to the capital. They arrived at the gates to the city, protected by a few guardsmen. “Oh, my- This is the very picture of the ancient civilizations I’ve read about!” Mòrag gasped in awe.

“It’s a pretty classic look,” Zeke replies. “You know the old land of Torna? They had a proud and noble civilization, rivaled only by Judicium at the time,” he says walking forward. “But whereas Judicium were the masters of biological arts, Tornans knew all there was to know about engineering. The proud blood of Torna runs in the veins of us Tantalese.”

_I guess you aren’t all that different from us Ardainians_ , Mòrag thought.

“As there are people to pass it on to, civilization will endure. Knowledge is inherited, much like life itself,” Dromarch states.

“Nice quote! You should write that down,” Nia suggests.

“Thank you.” _I would require some help, though…_

“It’s not that simple,” said Zeke.

“Huh?”

“You’ll see…” said Zeke, ready to talk to the guards. “Howdy chaps. Holding the fort?”

“Do I know you, sir?” said the guard with poor posture.

“Wait, Seekhelos, do you see that symbol he’s holding?”

The other guard, Yevesthenes pointed at Zeke’s hand, holding his family crest. “M-my liege?! You’ve returned?!”

“Yep, and I’ve got some business here with my old man. A message from Indol. If you could let me and these chums of mine through, that would be dandy.“

“Of course, my liege! Welcome back, Prince Ozychlyrus!”

“Not so loud! We don’t want to make a public announcement of my return yet.”

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

“Thanks, Helo.” Zeke signals that they’re in the clear and the head through the gate.

“A friend?” asked Rex.

“Yeah. Helo and I used to take classes together before I left. His dad was in the old guard. Recognized him by the way he poses.”

* * *

They arrived at the plaza, where people were busy buying and selling goods. “Whoa, that’s a pretty lively market,” said Nia.

“It’s the black market.”

“Black market?”

“Tantal is so cold, there’s precious little in the way of local produce to sell,” Zeke explains. “Just look. All the regular shops are shuttered.” he stares off to the side of the plaza.

“You’re right, they’re mostly empty,” Rex noticed.

“Instead, folks pay ungodly prices for produce that’s been smuggled in from other nations. And since it’s the only thing keeping people from actually starving, the bigwigs just turn a blind eye,” Zeke finishes explaining.

“So most of the agricultural production is wasted just surviving, and the country grows weak…” Brighid deducts.

“Exactly.”

“So even the wisdom of a proud ancient civilization cannot solve all problems…” _So this is the market you were talking about all those years ago…_ Mòrag realized.

“Ancient civilization sounds good and all…but basically, this place is a giant museum with no tourists. That’s not gonna feed anyone,” Zeke remarks. They make their way through the center of Theosoir, trying not to garner any attention.

* * *

At the palace, Fortis waits for their arrival. “We have been expecting you, Your Highness,” he welcomes the prince and his companions.

“Yeah, yeah. Good to see ya. Is the old man inside?” asked Zeke.

“Indeed. He has been eagerly awaiting your return.”

“Hah! Now I know you’re lying. Armus’ll fly before that man welcomes me home. No need to coddle me, mate.”

“Apologies.”

“Any case, seems he knows we’re coming. That’ll save time.”

_Seems like tensions between Zeke and his father are a bit high. Did he try going back at one point?_ Mòrag wonders, as they went to the audience chamber. She stops briefly when something catches her eye. “Could it be…?” she spoke to herself.

Brighid stops beside her Driver. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she lied. _There is something about this room…_ “!” Tora and Poppi were lagging behind. “Tora,” she said. “Is Poppi capable of producing back-up ether? I want you two to refrain from using Arts, no matter what happens.”

“Uh? But why? It true Poppi able to produce own reserves of ether energy, but…”

“I’ll explain later. For now, just do as I ask.”

“All right then. Leave it to Tora.”

They caught up with the rest of the group, with Zeke, Mòrag, and their Blades taking the lead. Zeke and Pandoria walked off to the side, as the hall was lined with Tantalese guards. Mòrag removes her hat and kneels as a sign of respect. _So this is Zeke’s father…_ Fortis approached his lord, explaining to him who Rex and Pyra were, as well as who Mòrag is. Rex notices everyone else bowing, realizing he has to as well. He hands Fortis the scroll from Amalthus. King Eulogimenos looks at Pyra.

“The Aegis…I presume.” The King unfurls the scroll reading its contents.

> To King Eulogimenos Tantal,
> 
> I ask that you would allow the Aegis and her Driver to retrieve the Omega Fetter in order to ascend the World Tree. If you do not, you know what will happen.
> 
> -Praetor Amalthus Frithswith

Having finished it, he rips the scroll to pieces, shocking everyone. “Huh?!” Zeke readies himself for what might happen. The Tantalese guards encircle the group, readying their spears.

“Guards?! My Lady!” Dromarch calls to Nia, ready to protect Nia.

Mòrag and Brighid rose back up. _Exactly how I expected things to go,_ the princess thought.

“Meh meh…! Meh meh...!” Tora mumbles looking around in surprise.

“Wh-what the hell is going on? Shellhead?!” Nia trembles.

Zeke was trying to get to them, but a guard was holding him back. “N-no idea! Stop this at once! Dad!” he commands. Eulogimenos directs a device on the ceiling to fire a blast of electricity down at Pyra. She cries out in pain, causing Rex to feel it too.

“Rex!” concerned Nia. Pyra had her arms and legs attached to a hovering device, restricting her movement in a cross-like stance.

“Pyra!” Rex calls out as she was taken away.He rushes towards her only to be pin down by two spears. “Le-! Let her go! Pyra! Pyyyraaa!!!”

Zeke approaches his father. “Stop this madness! What’s going on?! Rex and his lot haven’t done anything!”

Eulogimenos rises from his throne. “We cannot afford to wait until they do, Zeke. The world must not be allowed to burn. The Aegis must be destroyed!”

“Oh no, you don’t… Dromarch! Let’s get Rex outta there!” Nia signals to her Blade.

“Roger!” They run towards the guards holding Rex down. Just when Nia was about to slash at one of them, the ether powering her rings vanished, rendering them useless. The guard blocks her attack.

“The ether energy! Aagh-!” she screams as she was sent flying back.

“My lady! Aurgh-!” The ceiling contraption zapped Dromarch.

“Please, do not resist. My goal is to only destroy the Aegis… I have no wish to take your lives also,” Eulogimenos warns.

“King Eulogimenos,” Mòrag draws his attention, as she puts her hat back on. “I stand before you as a special envoy of Mor Ardain. The Emperor sent me here himself. Do you realize what you are doing?” she said angrily.

“I am quite aware. And prepared to face the consequences.”

“Prepared…?” _What does he mean by that?_

“Take them away. I wish to speak with my son.” The guards took Rex and the others to a confinement chamber. Mòrag and Zeke exchange looks. Zeke was worried about the whole situation. He didn’t want the possibility of Mor Ardain and Tantal fighting to happen, especially after what almost happened five years ago. Mòrag looked upset and angry at Eulogimenos. She was wondering what that man was planning and what it is he truly was prepared for. _Did he mean he was prepared for war? Or…is there something else to it?_

“Why? Why do you have to bump Pyra off?” Zeke demands an answer.

“I see you still speak like a commoner,” his father remarked.

“What’s that got to do with anything? Don’t change the subject.”

“What if I told you I act for justice?”

Zeke was quiet for a few seconds. “What are you trying to say?”

“You could say…I’m doing this for Alrest.”

“Say what now…?”

“Follow me.”

* * *

Eulogimenos and Zeke went into the family vault, a place Zeke was never allowed to enter. Lining the room were an array of wooden boxes, jars, and scrolls. Printed on the boxes was a symbol much different from the one found on Zeke’s sigil. Zeke was shocked by what he was seeing. “Th-This is…”

“This is….the legacy of our royal line,” the King told him the truth.

“You can’t be serious…” _We’re…not Addam’s descendants… Everything I knew…was it all a lie…?_ Zeke looks at his father dead in the eye. “Why…? Father, why?!” he cried in anger.

Eulogimenos looks sad. _It was only a matter of time before I had to tell him…_ “Zeke, I am sorry your mother and I kept this a secret from you for so long. It is something that every member of our family must learn, at some point in their life.”

“What’re you saying? That we’re not Addam’s bloodline?” Zeke asked.

“Precisely. In Torna, our family was just a cadet branch. We only gained our position in the confusion of the war’s aftermath,” he explains.

“But then…we’re just a bunch of usurpers!”

“They were desperate times. We had no choice. The nation must continue at all costs.”

“Even if it meant claiming Addam’s name?”

“With its guiding force gone, much blood was spilled in Torna. We did what had to be done to reunite it under the new banner of Tantal…”

Zeke was fuming. “So…it was all a lie.”

“Zeke…”

“Don’t talk to me! You knew it was a lie all along! You told me all the stories about Addam! You told me to be proud! But here you are yanking everything I grew up knowing away from me!” Zeke storms out of the room.

“My son…”

* * *

In the confinement room, Rex was repeatedly hitting the door with his sword, only to bounce back. “It appears the flow of ether energy is being blocked off,” Dromarch observes the room.

“Dammit!” Rex wasn’t about to give up. He wanted to go rescue Pyra. “While we’re doing this, Pyra is…! We have to do something!”

“There is no point, Rex. You’re just wasting your strength,” Azurda tries to convince him to stop.

“Both the walls and floor are built to withstand great force. We cannot make a dent in them,” said Dromarch.

“Let’s come down a bit, Rex. If we think calmly, we’ll come up with something! …Grr!” Nia realized just how quiet Mòrag, Tora, and their Blades were being. “Hey, you lot! Can you try to help us out here?!”

“Your efforts are pointless. The way they built the place… It’s essentially one giant stasis web,” Mòrag explains.

“Stasis web… Like those nets you used in Torigoth?”

Mòrag nods and replies, “To lock Drivers up together with their Blades, and even leave us our weapons, they must have the utmost confidence. Perhaps we could break through, given enough time… But by then it will be too late and the Aegis will be disposed of.”

“…’Disposed of…?! That’s all the more reason you should give us a bloody hand!”

“I said it’s pointless.”

Nia hisses in frustration.

“We won’t get anywhere…with brute force, that is,” Mòrag states.

“Huh?”

Mòrag gives a telling smile that she’s got a plan.

* * *

At the balcony of Theoscaldia Palace, Zeke and Pandoria were watching over the city. Zeke has just finished explaining to Pandoria the truth of his heritage. “So what now, my Prince?” Pandoria asked.

“This pisses me right off…” Zeke says under his breath.

“Um, say what?”

“I said I’m pissed off! Doing it for the world, my arse. How self-serving can you get…?” Zeke rambles about his father.

“What’d you mean?”

“This country’s strangling itself to death with its own web of lies and excuses! But just maybe…our chum could break it free…”

“Rex could?” Pandoria wasn’t so confident.

“No faith, eh?”

“Hey, whatever. If you believe in him, my Prince, I’m with you all the way.”

“That kid’s heart is pure. Too pure for his own good, sometimes. But isn’t it our duty as adults to give him a little help with that?”

“Probably. You know, this is what I like about you.”

“This won’t be easy…”

“Oh quit it with your drama! When is anything ever easy for you?” Zeke gives a short laugh.

“Heh. Let’s go!” The two of them set off to bust Rex and crew out of their cell, unaware of what they have planned…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you all had a Happy Holiday last month.  
> -I can't be the only one that think Zeke and Mòrag are the dad and mom of the party, respectively, right?  
> -So Brighid and Pandoria talking gossiping about their Drivers was something I had planned earlier in the story, along with the Zeke and Mòrag's confessions. Like those, I felt it would be tonal whiplash given where it was, so I'm glad I changed it.  
> -The "Roc getting hit by Tora" thing is also a reference to CHOCO's drawing in Theosoir.  
> -Also, poor Dromarch. He got told to write his quote down, but he doesn't even have thumbs. Poor kitty.  
> -I like the idea of Zeke running into an old friend in Theosoir. It's a really nice way to expand the world a little.  
> -If you forgot Fortis, he's the old dude that serves Eulogimenos.  
> -I imagine at one point, Zeke did try to go home, which led to a further falling out between him and Eulogimenos, which is why he has such a different attitude towards his dad compared to the first two chapters.  
> -We were never given a last name for Amalthus, so "Frithswith" was chosen as it's Anglo-Saxon and means "strong peace". A rather ironic name given what he has done and later does, but fighting for the current time.  
> -For those curious what a cadet branch is, it's the male members of a royal family that are not next in line for the throne. This is the line that gives credit to the theory that the Tantalese royal family are the descendants of Zettar, the brother of the King of Torna and Addam's uncle (which by the way, if you haven't play Torna, you should it's really good), who pretty much got his chance at being king stolen by his nephew during the events of T:TGC.


	13. Trouble in Tantal

Rex and crew were blocked by some guards after making their escape, when suddenly a giant bolt of lightning struck the guards where they stood, knocking them out. Rex puts away his sword realizing who helped them.

“Zeke! Pandoria!”

“Oh, what? We came all this way to bust you out! How inconsiderate!” Zeke said.

“You kept us waiting! Won’t you get in trouble for helping us?”

“Eh, I’m the prodigal son anyhow. It can’t get any worse.”

“Where’s Pyra?”

“This way. Follow us,” Pandoria said.

They began their descent to the Hall of Mystery. On the way there, Zeke notices Mòrag scowling. _Looks like she doesn’t wan to talk now. Is it because of dad?_ Mòrag looks at Zeke. _I need to ask him about his family’s situation, because there are some things he hasn’t told me about._

Rex stops for a moment, taking in the pain he’s sharing with Pyra. “You all right?” Zeke asks.

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch.”

“Honestly though, chum, are you ever NOT getting scratched up?”

“Ever since Pyra gave me half her life force and we swore to reach Elysium, things have been rough. But…I’m actually glad. They feel like a sign of…our bond, I guess? Something special we share, as Driver and Blade.”

Zeke stares at him for a moment. _Huh, I guess…you two aren’t all that different from Pandoria and me._

“Anyway, let’s hurry. We don’t have any time to waste,” Rex said.

“Right.”

* * *

They arrived in the hall and see a massive cannon pointing straight at Pyra.

“Pyra!” Rex calls out as he enters the room.

“Rex!”

“The ether accelerator!” Zeke says.

“The what now?” asked Nia, puzzled by the giant device.

“It’s a weapon from long ago…designed to use Genbu’s ether energy for destruction. I never dreamed they’d fully restore it… My old man… He’s gonna use it to kill Pyra! No matter how strong she is, there’d be no coming back from that!”

_Seems like my country isn’t the only ones tinkering with ancient technology_ , thought Mòrag.

“In that case…we can’t let him use it!” They ready their weapons and fought the guards defending the accelerator.

* * *

“Argh…! There’s too many of them!” Rex said.

Zeke was holding off a guardsman with his sword. “Hurry, or Pyra’s toast!”

“I know that! It’s just-“ The accelerator was almost done charging.

“Forgive me,” Eulogimenos said to Pyra, as he signals to one of his men to crank up the output.

“Dammit! Pyra!!!!”

“I won’t let you…!” Zeke said leaping on top of the cannon, plunging his sword into it and dispersing electricity.

_Zeke! Don’t be reckless!_ Mòrag stared up at him.

“It’s not enough!”

“Poppi! Activate QT mode! Lift up from below!” Tora tells Poppi.

“Understood, Masterpon!” Poppi changes forms and flew below the accelerator, pushing it upwards to redirect the blast.

“Do it! Poppiiiii!!!!”

“Heeeeave…! Hoooooo!” Using every ounce of her strength, the weapon pointed above Pyra’s head into a circular structure. Zeke was losing his balance, as the cannon fires a red beam of light, shining through multiple rings up to Genbu’s head.

“It missed?!” Nia gasps as the laser fades away. “They did it, Rex! They stopped it!” she cheers, as Eulogimenos looked concerned.

“Yeah!”

Zeke runs across the cannon and jumps to break the binds holding Pyra. Rex catches her. “Pyra!” He checks to make sure she was alright. She opens her eyes and smiles. Rex does a sigh of relief.

“Five hundred years…” Eulogimenos began to speak. He walks up to the party. “For five hundred years, we Tantalese have concealed the Omega Fetter… Do you know why?”

“…”

“Our old homeland, Torna, was destroyed in the Aegis War. Our hero, Addam, also failed to return… You must understand, old Torna as a country was united around the Hero. But our ancestors, less so…” Zeke remembers his conversation from earlier, as his father explained gave a brief history of the Tantalese royal family.

“Legends of the hero who saved the world are deeply ingrained in people’s hearts…” Mòrag said. “And you used them for your own political agenda?”

“Even so… All was done in the name of saving the world from burning once more.”

“Don’t you dare try and sugarcoat it. Short story is, they saw an opportunity to gain influence, and they took it! Grrr.” Zeke lashes at his father. Eulogimenos looks down at the floor.

“That is the way of the world.”

“Mor Ardain could easily take a similar path,” Brighid reminds her Driver and friends. “

Yes…we are in no position to condemn them outright,” Mòrag said, remembering about the legends of the Hero-Emperor, Hugo Ardanach.

“So did this Addam guy really never return?” Nia asked.

“Indeed… The records indicate he went missing immediately after sealing away the Aegis. It is likely he simply perished during the journey home,” Eulogimenos speculates.

“…He didn’t just go missing,” Pyra said.

“What did you say, Aegis?”

“Addam… He had foreseen everything. He knew what would happen to the people after the kingdom fell. But…he chose not to return.”

This news surprised the King. “Addam left us on his own will? But why?”

Pyra takes off one of her earrings and places it in the palm of her hand. An emerald holographic image of a man in his early 30s, cloaked from head to toe with hints of armor peaking through, appeared. “…Hear me, my scions,” the recording began. “I am Addam Origo. This day I seal the Aegis away from the world. But this seal is not for eternity. In anticipation of the day that humanity becomes worthy of the Aegis’s power…I entrust her to posterity. She is our hope…. When mankind has matured, and learned to live better lives, she will answer your call, and return to you. Trusting that day will come, I leave my final wish to you…” The recoding ends and Pyra puts the ring back on her ear.

“Addam foresaw much confusion and hardship in the world ahead. And when I seemed unsure, he told me something.” Pyra pauses for a moment. “’This is a trial’,” she quotes. She then goes on and explains Addam’s plan.

“Live alongside…” Eulogimenos takes in Addam’s message.

“To be honest, I still don’t fully understand what he meant by that… Whether he simply meant the coexistence of humans and Blades, or something more… But I think he made a difficult choice. For the sake of everyone’s survival…”

Everyone absorbs what she just said. _So…that book is correct. Then I know what I must do_ , the King thought.

Suddenly, the whole room started to shake and a loud noise haunts the air. “Your Majesty!” one of the soldiers reports.

“What is this?!”

“It’s Genbu! It’s broken free or our control and started to dive in the clouds!”

“What? Are you certain?!”

Pandoria reels in pain, trying to contact the turtle-like Titan. “Pandy!” Zeke kneels down and checks on her.

“O-oh, no…”

“What exactly is happening?” Dromarch asks.

“Could it be…that blast…?!” Zeke suggests.

“What is he…?” Nia was afraid to find out the implications.

“Tantal keeps Genbu under control using the Omega Fetter. But firing the ether accelerator… It could’ve created a counter-flow in Genbu’s ether conduits....causing a critical overload.”

“…So Genbu’s broken?” Rex dreaded.

“Oh no,” Pandoria worries. “My words can’t reach him anymore… Genbu is just going to dive deeper and deeper… Then…”

“Dumb old git! That’s what happens when you use antiquated parts!” Zeke scolds his father.

Rex looks up and thinks. “The Cloud Sea has a similar density to water. As we dive, the pressure will keep building. By 500 peds, a human would be crushed completely…”

“And all that force will weigh down on Genbu?” asked Dromarch.

Zeke tries doing the math in his head, then asks one of the soldiers, “What’s our depth now?!”

“Twenty-two hundred peds, Sir! We are diving at a rate of 120 peds per minute!”

“And Genbu’s depth limit?”

“Twenty-five thousand, give or take…”

“…That’d give us just over three hours.”

“Whoa, Shellhead’s good at maths…” Nia jeers.

“Bite me.” The room continues to shake as Genbu continues its reckless dive. “This ain’t good. Hey, chum. There’s a pressure-resistant pod in the palaces’s southern tower. You guys at least should get in and escape.”

“What about you and everyone else?” concerned Rex.

“Don’t worry about us.”

_Zeke, you are making me worried. Don’t you dare break our promise now_ , Mòrag shot a look at him.

“How can I not worry about you?! Isn’t there any other way? Some way to save everyone?!”

“Only Pandoria can tell Genbu what to do. If it won’t budge for her, it’s no use. Apart from that, all we can do is try to evacuate as many people as we can… But with just three hours…” Zeke wasn’t so confident about the idea.

“I think you mentioned before… You control Genbu using the Omega Fetter, right?” Pyra had a plan.

“Uh, yeah, but…”

“Where is it?”

“Inside Genbu’s head. It’s straight south from the palace through Genbu’s spinal column.”

“I will go.”

“You’ll go? Pyra, what are you-“

“The Omega Fetter is originally Ophion’s control core. And Ophion is my Artifice. I can’t be 100% sure, but I think I might be able to fix it.”

“Pyra…”

“Pyra being serious?” wondered Tora. “They try to kill Pyra one minute ago!”

“That’s a totally separate issue. …Isn’t that what you’d say, Rex?” she asks her Driver.

“Wha-? Oh, yeah, I guess it is.”

“And that’s why.”

“Friend Pyra… Tora get it. Then Tora and Poppi also lend help!”

“Looks like we’re in too, Dromarch?” Nia asks her Blade.

“I would have it no other way,” he responds.

“That’s settled then. Stay out of our way, old man! Got it?”

“You would all…risk your lives for this?” Eulogimenos was stunned by their generosity. “For the sake of Tantal, though we attempted to destroy the Aegis?”

“It’s not about Tantal,” said Rex.

“Then why?”

“You’re a king, right? You ought to be able to figure it out.”

“Rex, you are…”

“Mòrag?”

“You leave me little choice.” _If it’s to save more lives, I’ll do it._

“Zeke, where was the Fetter again? How do we get there?”

“I won’t just tell ya. I’ll take you right to it!”

“Zeke…”

“Save it, old man. You better make a start on evacuating the people. Though, with us on the case… Your efforts are probably going to be wasted!”

_I hate to admit it, but he’s right. It’s the only thing I can do._ “…Understood,” his father sighed.

“No time for chit-chat. Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

* * *

Rex and the others ran as fast they could through the rear gate of Theosoir and descended to the lower level of Tantal. They reached the spinal column, a long corridor of burnt ruins from long ago: the hallmarks of a battle. Mòrag stopped, thinking about Tantal and Indol.

Brighid turns to see her Driver puzzled. “Lady Mòrag, you’re making that face again. If you keep frowning like that, you’ll get wrinkles.”

“…I just don’t get it. Tantal was founded by the counter-Addamites. Then, after the war, they closed themselves off. But…the way the king was acting… I can’t help feeling there’s something more to it,” she said, crossing her arms.

“What though?” asked Nia.

“It was the Praetorium who sent us here on this mission. Why would he go to such lengths to reject it…? It seemed almost like he wanted to cut ties with them…”

“You think Indol is holding something else over Tantal?” _What could it be though_ , Brighid puts her hand to her chin in thought.

“That would be an explanation, yes… Zeke, do you know anything useful?”

He shook his head. “Nope. There’s no records from back then.”

“How about you?” she asks Brighid.

“There’s nothing in my journal from that period. I might have been returned to my core for some reason or other.”

“Do you know anything about those days, Gramps?” Rex asked.

“Mmm…? Noo, I was somewhere else at the time. And matters of human kingdoms and so on didn’t interest me much.”

“Geez Gramps, what’s the point of keeping an old-timer like you around if you don’t even know anything?!”

“Sometimes, it’s funny how much you sound like Corinne.”

“So you think the king wasn’t telling us everything?” Nia asked.

“There is a chance,” Brighid responds.

“Do you think it may be related to Jin and his comrades using Torna’s name?” wondered Dromarch.

Rex thought about what Jin told them during their last encounter prior to his escape. “The last state…”

“Hmm?”

“Jin said something about the last state of humanity, I thought he meant, like, an evolution. Y’know, in the future…but maybe he meant the previous state of humanity?”

“And that is the key to why they fight…?” said Brighid. Rex nods.

“If… If that is the case…” Pyra began to think aloud. “Perhaps I…never should have been sealed away after all…”

* * *

The team continued through the ruins. As they went through, they talked about how this was a battlefield during the Aegis War and how the Artifices played a role during that war. They reached the crown of Genbu.

“My Prince, look over there,” Pandoria points at the ancient structure at the back of the crown.

“Would you look at that. I guess we’ve arrived.”

“Whoa, it looks way older than the palace…” said Nia.

“Yes, it seems untouched by the ravages of time…” Dromarch agreed. Zeke walks up to the door with the rest of the group not far behind him. Zeke gestures to Pandoria, who touches her Core Crystal. It shines at the door, triggering a reaction that opens it up. They walk inside to see a golden orb surrounded by several rings.

“That’s it,” said Zeke. He walks up to the pedestal before it and places his hand on it. The symbol glows, causing the orb and rings to spin in multiple directions. In the center of the golden rings was a red, spiky crystal, pulsating with pink electricity.

“Looks like a Core Crystal…” said Rex. “Is that the Omega Fetter…?”

“Yes. That’s Ophion’s control core. It was originally a conduit that I used to communicate with Ophion,” Pyra explained.

As the room shook from Genbu’s diving, Brighid states, “We have to hurry.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Pyra swaps to Mythra and begin tinkering with the crystal.

“Well? Can you fix it?” Rex asked.

“Shut up,” Mythra hushes him, trying to concentrate.

“I’m sorry…” he said sheepishly. She continues to manipulate the Omega Fetter, until it starts to emit a bright red light in the room, as the crystal itself began to turn blue.

Finally, the light stops and the fetter became a blue cube. Mythra sighs in exhaustion.

“Mythra…?” She turns around and smiles at him. _Woah…_

“In that case…” Pandoria touches her crystal again, trying to communicate with Genbu. The ground shook again, but this time, it was different. Everyone felt that their surroundings were elevating as the colossal turtle rises back to the surface of the Cloud Sea.

“Are we…rising?” asked Mòrag.

“All right! Prince, I’ve told Genbu to resume circling the Cloud Sea once he’s done rising.”

“Nice. Looks like we made it after all,” said Zeke. _We did it. We saved everyone._

“Oh! Great news!” Tora sighs in relief. “Phew, Tora was not look forward to becoming flat as Argentum Monkfish.”

“A job well done, eh?” asked Nia.

“Hey, Rex. You can remove that thing now,” said Pandoria, pointing at the Omega Fetter. He nods and walks over to grab the device, placing it in his canister.

“Right then, let’s go back and tell the good news. Though, I’m sure everyone would have felt it by now,” said Zeke.

“Yeah.”

As they were walking out, a trio of unwanted guests were waiting on them. “So it was hidden all the way out here… No wonder we couldn’t find it,” a snobby man said. Rex gasps in surprise at who was talking. “I’d just been wondering if it was time to make an exit… Thanks for saving me the trouble,” Akhos said while he pushed up his glasses.

“Lovely to see that tedious woman isn’t here to get in out way this time!” said Patroka.

“Care to join me in a dance of death, Nia?” Mikhail taunts her.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit,” she replies, disgusted by his flirtiness.

This temporarily flattened Mikhail’s mood. “Mean little girl.”

“You’ve come for the Fetter, haven’t you,” Rex guesses.

“Perceptive, kid.”

“Condescending much? It’s not like there’s anything else here,” Nia retorts.

“You are SO mean.”

“Now, hand it over nicely would be the classic line, but no. I’m not letting you escape with your lives. For Jin’s sake,” Akhos threatens dramatically.

“Where are Jin and Malos, anyway?” asked Mythra. “There are a few things I need to ask them.”

“Frankly, I don’t think they’ve got much interest in what you have to say.”

“Sure about that?”

“Quite sure, yes.”

“Not to interrupt the verbal sparring, but how do you plan on doing anything without your Blades?” Zeke taunts with Pandoria mimicking him. “We’re no pushovers, you know.”

“Oh, we’re quite aware of that. We just don’t need them, you see,” Akhos said.

“Explain yourself.”

Akhos holds out his hand to reveal a blood red, hexagonal crystal. Suddenly, a white and gold bow appears in his hands. Patroka and Mikhail follow suit, each holding their own crystals. Patroka’s transformed into a bardiche, while Mikhail’s turns into a pair of sharp fans.

“Core Crystals!” Zeke exclaims. _It’s just what Mòrag and I were talking about… Then they must be…_

“They’re Blades?!” said Rex.

“Worse. Flesh Eaters…” Mòrag said, ready to fight. _So we were right on the money…_

“Bravo! Very good!” Akhos congrats their deduction. “We’ve had many an interruption in the past…but here, that seem less likely. So let’s go all out.”

Rex and crew began to draw their weapons. “You can try, but I assure you, we won’t go down easy,” said Nia.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Akhos said readying his bow. “Like I said, all out.”

Patroka strikes the ground, causing giant blades of earth to cut out of the ground to catch the party off guard. Akhos fires a beam of lightning at the group, only to be blocked by Tora. Mikhail taunts Nia into attacking him, dodging her attacks using Crow Dancer. Zeke swings his sword at Patroka, catching her polearm before it could hit him. Mòrag comes to his aid and launches a swirl of fire at her, knocking her away.

“Thanks!” Zeke shouts.

Akhos decides to make things a little more unfavorable for Rex and friends. “Black Wave!” Everyone’s Blades started to feel their power restrained.

“Dammit!” Rex says in frustration. He clashes with Akhos’s Calamity Scythe.

“What’s a matter, feel like you can’t do anything without your Blade?” the Flesh Eater mocks. Before he could retaliate against the Aegis and her Driver, Poppi fires a missile, knocking him back. Mikhail rushes to help, but he get blasted away by one of Mythra’s beams of light, along with the rest of his colleagues.

“Inconceivable! How could we…” Akhos was worn out, trying to catch his breath.

“These rats…” Patroka said, holding herself out with her polearm and with Mikhail’s support.

“Warned you, didn’t we? You mess with Thunderbolt Zeke, that’s whatcha get. You brought this on yourselves,” the Crown Prince walks up to them, ready to land the finishing blow. Akhos wanted to say something, but a weak sound emerged from his mouth. “Anyway, this has gone long enough. Nighty night, chaps. Very much looking forward to interrogating you later?” Zeke was swinging his sword in practice. “Here I go! Bringer of Chao- Gah!!”

Out of nowhere, a flash of white slashed Zeke from behind, knocking off balance in pain. Standing behind Zeke as he turns around on the ground to see his attacker was none other than Jin.

“Jin?!” Rex was shocked. “Where did he-“

“Seems like they don’t call you “Thunderbolt” for nothing. That’s the first time I’ve ever missed a vital point…” the Tornan was amused by Zeke’s speed.

Zeke picks himself back up using his sword, pressing his coat onto to his side to prevent bleeding. “Hrk… You bastard!” Zeke lunges at the solo Blade, before Jin teleports away to his allies. Zeke felt winded, with Pandoria catching him.

“Prince!”

“Don’t worry yourself… It’s just a scratch, really…” he tries to reassure her.

“Jin, are you ok?” asked Akhos.

“Relax, he’s not made of glass,” a deep male voice said.

Mythra turns to see, who else, but her brother. “Malos?!”

“Don’t mind me, I’m just a spectator. He, on the other hand, insisted on coming here…to settle a score.”

“Jin did?”

“Correct,” the white haired man replied. “You will give me both the Omega Fetter and the Aegis.”

“You just try and take ‘em! I know you’re strong…but there’s no way we’re giving you Pyra or Mythra!” Rex and the others prepare for round two against Torna’s boss.

“You have power, boy. But words do little. If you know what you desire, you will have to show it…” The room was starting to develop an icy fog as Jin’s Core Crystal glowed brightly. “…not with words, but your own strength!” A flurry of ice and snow began to surround him, as his body transformed. As the transformation happened, Genbu reached the surface of the sea, causing moonlight to beam down onto Jin, like a theater light. The group sees that he now dons black and green armor with wing-like protrusions around Jin’s waist. His chest was exposed, revealing a massive scar in the center.

“Is that Jin’s true form?!” Rex was stunned by his presence.

“What enormous energy…” Dromarch states.

Poppi scans the atmospheric levels. “There no change to ether energy of surroundings. That energy being emitted from interior of body.”

“Just like our Pyra, then? Where do you even keep all that energy?” wondered Nia.

“How about all that rage energy he’s got all pent up inside?” Zeke said, ready to get back at Jin, much to Mòrag’s discouragement.

Rex shook his head and said, “No, that’s not it… It’s…” Before he could finish, Jin swings his sword slightly, causing a wave of snow to blow forward.

“Watch out, here he comes!” Mòrag warns.

Rex, Nia and Zeke rushed at Jin, before he does wide uppercut. This launches them into the air. Tora and Mòrag try attacking him from a distance, only to have him cut their projectiles. Jin then blows a gust of icy wind, sending the airborne Drivers back towards the two waiting. When they regain their footing, Jin flashes in a blink of an eye, delivering a flurry of slashes to everyone except Mythra and Rex. They all collapse, leaving the two left standing in awe at his speed. Jin then runs at Rex. Mythra casts Foresight, getting Rex ready to counter his attack. Rex attempts to strike Jin, only to miss completely. Jin tries to attack him from behind, but Rex barely dodges his slash. He tries to block Jin’s flurry attack, but he couldn’t keep up to his speed.

“Whaaaa-!” Mythra recoils in pain, as Rex was hurt. The Aegis and her Driver were left on the ground, hurting all over.

“With wounds like that, they’re done for. It’s their biggest weakness,” Malos mocks them. Rex weakly tries to stand.

“Your struggle is pointless. My power gives me control over all elementary particles,” Jin explains.

“Parti-what?” Rex struggled.

Jin scoffs. “This allows me to accelerate my body to the speed of light. No matter how far ahead you can predict, your movements themselves are limited. You are no match for me.”

Rex was recovering his breath when he checks on his partner. “Mythra…!”

“I’m still here… Rex, we have to…slow him down. Match light speed with light speed….” Her core glowed, as Rex finally got on his feet.

“Got it!” He starts to develop the signature golden glow of a Driver in sync with their Blade. “Ok. Here we go!”

Mythra begins to activate Siren from up above, as Rex runs at Jin. “Uuuuuwaaagh!” Rex leaps into the air with his sword held up high. Mythra jumps in coordination, as Rex shoots a blast of light at the Ice Blade. With the Siren Buster ready, Mythra commands the Artifice to strike Jin. A giant beam came down from the heavens, leaving behind an explosion of light. Rex’s allies braced for the impact, trying not to get swept away by the aftershock.

“We do it?!” Rex asked, as Mythra landed beside him. As the golden veil cleared, they can see Jin still standing, holding the attack in his hand.

“Ah!”

“Didn’t I tell you? I can manipulate elementary particles. And the Aegis’s attacks are nothing but a stream of particle energy… The particles that form it are too heavy to truly reach light speed.” He swings his arm, causing the beam of light to fade away.

“The result is obvious.”

“Ohh no… Mythra’s attack didn’t…?” Rex muttered.

“Jin…” Mythra said angrily. Her suspicions about her former ally are coming together. Jin readies his sword once more.

“It’s over, boy.” Rex looks at Jin with weakness in his eyes. “Eat this!” Jin warps to Rex. Mythra tries to protect him with a barrier, but Jin smashed it as he continues his assault. The attack breaks Rex’s sword. Mythra falls onto the ground, fainting from all the pain. This causes her to swap with Pyra.

“Rex! Pyra!” Nia rushes to help her friends. She is blocked by the other three Torna members she fought earlier, as a pair of metallic claws pinned her to the ground. “Ugh-!” Holding her down was a silver and gold creature with glass-like wings and orange ether circuits. Dromarch tries to rescue her as another one of these beings pins him down as well. More and more of these winged creatures flew in, as if they worked for Torna. One tries to lunge at Zeke, only to be smacked by his blade. However, two of them snuck up and him and Pandoria, restraining their movement.

Mòrag defeated one of them, but another flew into her. “Gah! Th-these are…”

Tora and Poppi were quickly restrained by their captors. “A-artificial Blades!” he exclaims.

“Of course… That’s why you were at Bana’s factory! You won’t win…so easily!” Mòrag envelops herself in sapphire flames, throwing the Blade Bot holding her. She lunges at Mikhail with her twin blades, as he dodges.

“Uwagh!” He grabs her by the throat.

“Ugh…” she lets out a gasp of air.

“Lady Mòrag!” Brighid calls out to her Driver, held back by a Blade Bot.

“Whoa! You’re quite a looker from up close… Killing you will be such a waste,” Mik threatens holding his fan close to her face.

_Get your dirty paws off her!_ Zeke wanted to say, but was too weak.

“Let me go…you pig!” Mòrag struggled to say.

“S-stop…it…” Rex whimpered, powerless to save his friends.

Jin places his boot on his head, holding him down. “I’m surprised you’re still breathing. Relax. You’ll be able to rest after I’ve pried that Core Crystal from your chest,” he sadistically said, placing his blade right in front of Rex’s face, with the cutting edge pointing at his crystal.

“I…won’t die here… I have to reach…Elysium… I have to find…the answers we’re all looking for…” Rex’s words caught Mikhail’s attention, causing him to ease up a little and look at the boy.

“What answers? In this world, there are no answers,” Jin said, pressing his foot down harder.

“Gwa-!”

“E-enough…” Pyra said weakly, still recovering. “I’m the one that you want, isn’t that right?” This caught Jin and Malos’s attention. “Leave them…out of this…”

Mikhail tosses Mòrag away. She quickly catches her breath and exchange glances with Zeke.

“Aw, look, what a touching scene,” Mikhail pokes fun at her. “Are you going to beg for their lives?” he says as he spun flamboyantly.

“No mockery, Mik. This is serious business,” Malos told him.

“Put the sword away, Jin. If not, I’ll…”

“You’ll do what, exactly?” Jin knew she wasn’t in any condition for demands.

“I will…annihilate myself,” Pyra threatens him.

“What?!” Nia exclaimed.

“You need me alive…don’t you, Malos?”

“Hah. You worked that much out, did you? Well done,” Malos congratulates her as he stepped away from the wall he was resting on. “But how would you make good on that threat? You don’t have that kind of…”

“Are you so sure…about that?” She turns to her brother as a red light surrounds her.

“This is a shock. I didn’t think you had it in you…”

“What’s going on?” Patroka had no idea what the Aegis was doing.

“She’s controlling Mythra’s Artifice herself…”

“She’s controlling Siren through sheer…willpower?” Akhos was surprised by this turn of events.

“…Go ahead. I’ll deflect it with my powers, just like before,” Jin said, unfaulteredd by her actions.

“You could do that… If I used the particle cannon itself. But this is the targeting ray. It moves at the speed of light. And if I turn up the output just a little…that light alone has enough power to annihilate a single Blade,” Pyra explained.

“You…”

“One signal from me…and my body will be scoured from this world. Faster than you can blink.”

Jin stared her down, trying to assess the situation.

“So? …Jin?”

“How unexpected. That you, an Aegis, would say something like that. So you’ll do it? Open the gates to Elysium for us?”

“Yes. If that is your wish.”

“Don’t, Pyra! They’ll just-“ Jin presses on Rex’s head once more to shut him up.

“Jin!” The ray of light shrank, focusing more on Pyra. Doing so cause some of Pyra to start to burn.

Realizing he has no other choice, he brings his sword off the ground. “Very well.” Jin gets off Rex and backs off slowly. As he does so, the targeting ray fades away. She approaches Rex.

“Pyra-!”

“Nia… Keep Rex safe for me.”

Nia struggles to escape from the bot’s grasp. “N-no, no way! I don’t agree to this!”

As she stood beside Rex, Brighid opened up her eyes, revealing her purple pupils. Pyra reaches down to the canister on Rex’s back and removes the Omega Fetter. “I’m really sorry, Rex…”

“P-Pyra… But why…” Pyra walks to Jin, before fainting in his arms, worn out from everything that happened. “P-Pyra…” Rex struggles to bring himself back up.

“Look at the state of you…”

“…!”

“You hadn’t even noticed? Your own Blade has been wounded so deeply…and all you can think about is yourself,” Jin looked down at the salvager as he puts away his sword. Rex tried to say something, but couldn’t. “You awakened the Aegis… I thought you might have been different. But you’re just…a fool.” Those words cut into Rex’s heart. “A pitiful, childish…fool.”

Jin makes his exit as a fierce gust of wind obscures Rex’s vision. All of the Blade Bots released the Drivers and Blades from their claws and took to the skies, returning to Torna’s base. And with that, Torna vanished. Rex looks around franticly, looking for where Pyra went. “Pyra… Pyyyyraaaa-!” he screamed. The damage that was done to him took it’s toll, causing Rex to fall onto the ground...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Well here's a bit of a long chapter, though it pretty much follows the end of Chapter 6 in the game. Don't worry, the next chapter or two are going to be original. Writing the story bit-by-bit is a little tiresome, so this is good for both me and you. I've got a pretty good idea for what I want next.  
> -This is a moment that I couldn't really do a whole lot of Mòrag/Zeke stuff, due to how dire the situation is. The next few chapters should make up for it.  
> -Updates are going to be a bit slow, now that classes are resuming. I'm currently taking Calculus 2, which isn't really my strong suit. Also effecting the schedule is the release of Monster Hunter Rise in March, one of my highly anticipated games this year, so I'll probably be busy trying to get through the game as well.  
> -I'm going to drop this here. If you haven't already, I have a Twitter account that regularly posts when I updated "Prince meets Princess". I usually post stuff relating to either Xenoblade, Monster Hunter, Pokemon, or Kingdom Hearts, so if you have an account, feel free to drop by: https://twitter.com/Drakuhound1997


	14. Recovery

Zeke picks himself up using his sword as a support. “Damn…” He looks at Rex. “Kid’s all knocked out. You guys... Who can still walk?”

Dromarch stood on all fours. “My lady appears to not be well. I will carry her on the way back.”

“Poppi in need of repairs, but can still walk fine.”

“Tora still good.”

“I’m good to go, my Prince,” Pandoria said weakly.

“I can still walk,” said Brighid, the least damaged of the bunch.

“Mòrag?”

“I’m fine…” she croaked.

“Try not to talk too much. He got you pretty good and I don’t want you straining your voice,” said Zeke.

“I think I’m more concerned about you, considering you almost got fatally wounded.”

“I told you, I’m fine. See,” he opens his coat to show the wound inflicted by Jin isn’t bleeding. “I’ll carry Rex back home.” Zeke puts Rex on his back.

“If you feel the need, I’ll carry him if you get tired. It’s part of my military training, you understand,” Mòrag offers.

“You don’t have to-“

“Zeke, you’ve gone through enough today. I don’t need you stressing yourself out.”

Zeke wanted to make a witty remark, but couldn’t. “You’re right. I’ll take you up on that.” “Thank you. Let’s depart.”

As they walked through the snowfield, it was oddly barren. “The activity on Genbu must have spooked all the animals. They’re probably still hiding,” Dromarch suggests.

“It also nighttime,” said Poppi.

“Zeke, Mòrag. Tora have question.”

“Fire away, Tora,” said Zeke.

“How come Zeke and Mòrag know each other so much?”

“Wha-?! Tora you can’t just ask someone that.”

“It’s fine, Zeke. We can tall them.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, although, we should wait for this conversation until everyone is all patched up.”

“For sure. Don’t need you losing your voice.”

“So do Zeke and Mòrag have feelings of…blushy-crushy?” asked Tora. The two royals weren’t ready to reveal their feelings with the group just yet.

“Come again, Tora? I’m not all that familiar with Nopon lingo. Would you explain-“

“…Tora, why did you bring that back up?” a tired voice cuts off Zeke.

“My lady! You’re awake,” said Dromarch

“Yeah. Still exhausted, though…”

“Well try not to work yourself up. We’re going to need you and everyone else’s help back in Theosoir,” Zeke said.

“Yeah, yeah…”

* * *

The group continues to make their way up the ruins and ice flows until they can see a familiar gate in the distance. “Ah, here we are. Home, sweet, home. When we get inside, you all go check in at the inn. Pandy and I got to report this to-“

“I think you should wait until the morning. Besides, we need to get you patched up,” Mòrag said.

“Always trying to rope me back in. Fine, I’ll take care of myself.” They approached Theosoir Rear Gate where some guardsmen waited.

“Your Highness! Welcome home! But where is the-“

“It’s a long story. Tell my old man I’ll give him the full details. Short story is, the Aegis got kidnapped by Torna.” “

My apologies, my liege. I will report to him immediately. Rest easy, Prince Zeke.”

“Will do, chaps.”

The group reached Anastatia’s and booked for the next few nights. Nia and Dromarch gathered the Blades resting in the inn to help patch everyone up. Prior to their meeting with the King, they had their Blades wait at the inn. It did cost them extra, but Zeke managed to convince the owner otherwise. As they were helping each other, Mòrag was trying to wrap a bandage around Zeke’s wound.

“Zeke, do mind helping me with this?”

“Oh right.” He unbuckled the belts around his lower torso.

“So why the belts? Wouldn’t a shirt work?”

“It would, but the belts just look cool. Got to contain the sheer power of my-“ Zeke tries flexing, but ends up hurting himself. “Body…” he groans.

“Even when you’re hurting, you try to show off…” Mòrag said.

“If you want to know the real reason, he lost his shirt a while back. We weren’t kidding about not having enough money for a second contact lens,” Pandoria butts in.

“I’ll have you know we had most of our money in Indol when we were looking for the Aegis. Besides, don’t you need some help?”

“What are you talking about? I’m doing fi-“ Pandoria accidently zaps herself. “You do this when you’re trying to force yourself awake. You need to get some sleep.”

“Fine, I’ll go to bed. See you guys in the morning.”

During the whole exchange, Mòrag was busy finishing the wrap. She knew he was toned from adventuring all the time, but she didn't think she’d be able to get a good look at him. “Mòrag, you’ve been awfully quiet.” Her thoughts were broken by Zeke, who was looking at her. “Was my wound actually that bad?”

“No. You and Jin were both right that he missed a vital spot. You’re probably going to be sore, but I think you’re going to be alright. It’s not the first time I had to do something like this.”

“I would imagine so.”

“Hey, do you guys want me to check on Rex?” Nia asked, interrupting their conversation.

“You should leave him be. Rex has been through a lot today. He needs some sleep. The last thing he needs is someone disturbing him,” Mòrag suggests.

“Got it. I guess I’ll see you all in the morning.”

“Tora tired too. Should go to bed early.”

“As you wish.” Tora and Poppi withdraw to the boy’s and girl’s rooms, respectively. Azurda, Dromarch, and Brighid also made their leave, with only Zeke and Mòrag staying in the lobby. The inn was no longer accepting visitors, so the owner retired for the night. They sat quietly, until Zeke broke the silence.

“How’s your throat?”

“It’s still sore, but thanks to Nia and the others, I feel like I can talk normally. It didn’t hurt when I put on the bandage, did it?”

“A little… Might just be me being worn out from that fight. You know, when that Mikhail fella held you by the neck…I was afraid I would have lost you.”

Mòrag smiled, knowing that he felt the same way. “The feeling is mutual. You could have gotten hurt trying to stop the ether accelerator and then you almost fell to Jin’s attack…”

“I’m sorry for being a little reckless. I had to do something. If I didn’t, I guess we wouldn’t find our ticket to Elysium then.”

“Hmm?”

“If what Pyra and Rex said was true, then we can save all of Alrest. We both know the state of Mor Ardain, and now you know how Tantal is fairing. If we can find the truth about Elysium, then I’m sure we can put an end to the rivalry between you guys and Uraya.”

Mòrag thought about their conversation when they first met. His words resonated with her. She then leans over and gives him a kiss on the cheek, much to his surprise. “…I’m with you then. When Rex wakes up, we’ll discuss a plan to rescue the Aegis.”

“…Right.” They looked at each other for a bit.

“Wait, did I just…?” _Oh, Architect. This is embarrassing…_ Mòrag’s face started to blush.

“Ha! I wasn’t expecting you to make the first move. But hey.” Zeke leans over and kisses Mòrag’s cheek. “I guess we’re even now.”

“…Yeah,” she said embarrassingly.

“I wouldn’t be that embarrassed. Everyone’s already in their rooms, waiting on us,” he said.

“I guess you’re right. Well, you’ll be discussing with your father about what happened, in addition to getting supplies for when we leave. So rest well, and try not to sleep on your right side.”

“I’ll try not to. Goodnight, Mòrag.”

“Goodnight, Zeke.” They smiled at one another one more time before heading to bed.

* * *

The next morning…

Zeke woke up before the sun started to shine. He touches the spot where Mòrag kissed him. He then looks down at his side, still covered in wrapping. _Can’t believe this all happened yesterday. What a crazy day that was. I should probably go check on Rex._ Zeke takes his coat off the bed and puts it on, before walking over to the room where Rex and Azurda were sleeping. Azurda didn’t want to leave Rex by himself, so he stayed with the boy. Zeke noticed that the small Titan was sitting on one of the tables in the lobby.

“Is Rex up?”

“Sadly, no. He’s taken quite a beating. It will take some time before he’s fully recovered.”

“Yeah… At least Nia did a good job patching him up.”

“Indeed. And don’t you worry about him. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him from time to time.”

 _But you can’t even open the door…_ “Well, I’ll go check in with my old man. If anyone asks where I’m at, tell them I’ll be at the palace.”

“Will do.”

Zeke heads off for his old home. There he asked where his father was.

“The usual spot, my liege.”

“I figured he would go there.” Zeke went further into the palace until he reached a small open space, lined with flowers. At the end of the room was his father.

“Hey…” Zeke said.

“Hello, Zeke,” Eulogimenos said quietly. Zeke walks over to his father’s side and knew what he was looking at.

“Visiting Mum, huh?”

“Yes. I was told about what happened yesterday. I am…glad you are alright.”

“…Thanks, Dad.”

“Yesterday’s events reminded me that I needed to change. And I am happy to admit, both you and your mother were right about Tantal’s predicament. I thought I was doing it for our people. But, my actions almost caused all that’s left of our ancestors to perish. Almost caused…my one and only son to leave me…forever.”

“Dad…”

“When you’re mother was still alive, she had some of the same ideas as you did. I too had thought like her…once.”

“Oh?”

“When I was your age, or perhaps even younger, I used to sneak off from Tantal and salvaged for treasure. Actually, we both did. There were some legendary artifacts that I hoped to bring up one day, just to impress your mother. But she told me that I was fine the way I was, so this and the fact I was next in line to rule forced me to stop. I don’t blame you one bit for becoming rebellious.”

Zeke couldn’t believe his ears. “So…why did you get angry at me if you did the same thing yourself?”

“I was afraid. As I mentioned yesterday, there comes a time where ever Tantal family member most learn the truth of our past. I reacted almost the same way you did. Mind you, I was already ruling, so when my father, your grandfather told me, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Do I keep on holding up this 500 yearlong facade, or do I keep to my core values? Indol was pressuring us to abide by their rules for so long, my heart slowly started to grow…cold if you will. It was when your mother passed on that I became the man you see now. …I was a fool…” The king looked at his wife’s tombstone longingly. “If only Kallisto could see you now. She would be proud to see the man you have become.” He smiled at his son.

“…Dad. Do you actually hate me?”

“I don’t, Zeke. At several times, I was upset out of fear. But…I only wished that you were safe, no matter where you were,” he said sincerely.

Zeke looked at his father. “…That means a lot, actually. Does that mean I’m no longer banished?”

Eulogimenos places his hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “No, not anymore. I only wish the best for you. Just know that you are always welcome to return to Tantal.“

Zeke, for the first time in years, smiled at his father. “Thanks you so much, Dad. So, does that mean Tantal is going to be opening up?”

“I have plans on doing just that. You sounded like something was on your mind.”

“Oh, umm. If that’s the case, how do you feel about trading with Mor Ardain? I can ask Special Inquisitor Mòrag if she will allow you and Emperor Niall to discuss this.”

“I will allow that.” “You will?” His father nods. “Alright, I’ll go tell her when I get back to the inn.”

“Would you rather if you and your friends stay at the palace?”

“We kind of already payed the owner. Not to mention, Rex got seriously injured in our fight with Torna, to the point where he’s still knocked out cold.”

“I understand. When the Driver of the Aegis is awake, I’d like to speak with him.”

“Uh, sure thing. See you soon, I guess.”

“See you soon, indeed.”

“You too, Mum,” Zeke said to the gravestone. He does a small, silent prayer before departing.

* * *

At the inn, everyone else was already having breakfast. “Good morning, folks! Hope you all are doing better,” said Zeke as he came into the lobby.

“Well you were gone for a bit,” said Mòrag.

“Just talking with my dad.”

“So, why do Zeke’s Daddapon and Zeke fight each other?” asked Tora.

“I was wondering that myself. I know you were banished, but you never gave an more specifics,” said Dromarch.

“Well, it’s a long story…” Zeke explains everything from when he was 15 up until a now. “…And there you have it. Short story is we didn’t see eye to eye. But…”

“Hmm?”

“…I think we’re starting to mend our relationship. Our chat included somethings that our pretty personal. And there’s some information that only Mòrag, Brighid, and Pandoria are privy too, as we don’t want it to go public just yet.”

“Government negotiations, I take it?” Mòrag asked.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s move somewhere more private to discuss this.”

“Right now or-“

“Now is fine. I’m sure you know of a place where we can talk in secret.”

“Well, actually I do. But, uh, can you let me have breakfast first? Forgot to eat before I left.”

“Go ahead.”

“Didn’t Zeke say he was going to show how he and Mòrag meet each other?” Poppi reminded them.

“We did agree to that. Well, I guess it’s time for a little story. Before I became Special Inquisitor, I was the Crown Princess of Mor Ardain. Traditionally, the one that inherited the throne was the eldest son of the emperor. But at that time, Niall was not born yet. You see, while we call each other siblings, we are actually cousins. My mother, Màiri Ladair, is the former emperor’s sister. I was already being prepared to become the heir to the throne. But one night while I was with my aunt and uncle, we received a report. My parents were assassinated by anti-Ardainian forces. The Ardainian-Gormotti War was still fresh in the minds of some of Gormotti, and my father Eandraig was one of the ringleaders for taking control of Gormott. So I was adopted by my aunt and uncle, still set for taking up the mantle of the first ruling Empress. But by a miracle, Niall was born to my relatives."

"I was never upset from having this opportunity taken away from me. I knew they were trying hard for a child, so I offered to serve as Niall’s sword and shield. One day while I was training, an odd man came walking in to the courtyard I was training in. I knew my uncle allowed the Prince of Tantal the chance to stay the night, but I assumed he left by the next morning. I never would have expected them to be so…flashy, for lack of words. I originally told him to go away and leave me be, but he insisted on staying. So we had a little practice fight. During that and afterwards, we made a promise to see each other again. I had doubts about us meeting again, what with my training and duties. But by some sort of fate, we ended up seeing each other again.”

“So that how Mòrag and Zeke meet. Very interesting story,” said Poppi.

“Hold up, we ain’t done yet. I still need to tell my side of the sto-“

“I think we have more pressing matters to attend to,” Mòrag cuts off Zeke.

“Spoilsport, I was going to tell them about my daring adventure in Indol.”

“We can save it for when Rex is awake. Now then, shall we?”

“Might as well. We hardly have anything else going on. You guys are welcome to look around the city. I’m sure there’s something for everyone.”

“Hey Pandoria, do you know any good shops around here? I want to take my mind off of this whole business with Torna. I’m sure we’re also in need of some supplies.” Nia asked.

“If they’re still around, yeah. I got you covered.”

“Well, we’ll be seeing you guys later. Have fun!” said Zeke. Mòrag and Zeke leave the inn and headed for the palace, while Pandoria, Nia, Tora, and Poppi go looking for supplies.

* * *

Zeke and Mòrag began a little tour of the palace, making stops at different places, from the armory to the garden. They then took a look over the lower part of Tantal from a balcony.

“So how d’you like this palace, eh? Just as good as your Ardainian one,” asked Zeke.

“For a man that abandoned his country, you’re certainly proud of it.”

“Hey. That’s a low blow.”

“Do you think you’ll return for good someday?”

“…That’s a toughie.”

“What is it that’s stopping you?”

“Hey, Mòrag. Is your country important to you?”

“That was kind of out of the blue…”

“Come on, just tell me. Would you protect your country over anything in the world?”

Mòrag gave that a thought. Then she answered, “Without a doubt. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I mean… As a prince, of course you’re gonna want to protect your country and your people. But…is that really enough?”

“What do you mean?” _Where is he going with this?_

“This world, it’s stretched to its limit. We’ve both seen that on our travels.”

“…” _He’s not wrong…_

“Now, my old man, he closed off our country from the outside world. Why? To protect his people. But that’s not a real solution. That’s just running away from reality. Maybe you can protect your own people like that, for a while. But when the world ends, you’re just as dead. I just couldn’t bring myself to agree with the way he does things.”

“And…that’s why you left?”

“Yeah… If I can use my power to help save the world, even a little… I figured, that’s what I have to do. Help the people who need it. Of course, I was younger then, with naïve ambitions. In the end, I just wound up learning how powerless I really am.”

“But you haven’t given up yet, have you? You’re still trying to save the world.”

“Course I am. If you don’t have the power, you gotta try even harder. If you can’t do it alone, then you gotta find some friends to back you up. Mòrag. You’re one of those people, right? Someone I can count on.”

Mòrag laughs happily. “I’m with you, Zeke. We’re going to do everything we can to save our world.”

“That’s the spirit! Now let’s hurry on over to discuss the you-know-what.”

“Right.”

* * *

Zeke pulls out a distinctive key and places it in the door. He opens it up to reveal a bedroom. “Looks like nothing has changed,” Zeke said as he walked into his old room. “Bed’s too small to sleep in now, but it’s still there.”

“Not a bad place,” Mòrag examines the space. Lining the room was some pieces of fabric that Zeke got as a kid, coming in all sorts of patterns. On the desk beside his old bed was a snow crystal vase, right next to old notebooks from Zeke’s school days. Zeke’s bookcase had a lot of books about Addam, the history of Tantal/Torna, and other places in Alrest. A couple of training swords also leaned against the wall, untouched from the ravages of time.

Zeke picked one up and swung it around, testing to see if it’s still sturdy. “The walls are pretty soundproof. Not to mention most of the palace staff wouldn’t think I’d be coming in here after all this time,” said Zeke.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?”

“So when I was talking with my dad, I made a suggestion to him. He plans on opening Tantal up to other countries soon, so I was wondering, can you help me get a meeting between him and Niall at some point?”

“About trading between our countries? I can certainly arrange that. Perhaps we should also send a message to Queen Raqura, as to not instigate the idea of an alliance. Tensions with Uraya are already high due to our relationship with Gormott. If Tantal is added to the mix, it could cause a risk between our nations.”

“Argentum is also a pretty big player. We could probably tell Acting Chairman Niranira as well. We helped him out with Bana, so he does owe us a favor.”

“I suppose so.”

Mòrag notices a picture of a younger Zeke, Pandoria, Eulogimenos, and a silver-haired woman all happy together.

“Oh, I guess you found this.” “Is that your mother in that picture?”

“Yeah. Actually, we were talking next to her grave. Kallisto is her name.“

“Kallisto….” “Most people called her Kallie for short.”

“A bit like us calling you Zeke.”

“You can say that.”

“I can see you take a lot after your mother.”

“Apparently, not just her. My old man said he actually used to be like me at one point. Can you believe he was a salvager at one point?”

 _Why are several of the world’s leaders salvagers? First Former Chairman Bana, then Amalthus, and now Eulogimenos. Next thing I know, Niall’s going to start salvaging._ “That’s interesting. Say Zeke, do you mind if we go somewhere else, now that we've wrapped this up? If someone catches us in here, well…”

“Oh. You’ve got a point. Don’t want any scandals now do we? Let’s head back into town. It’s getting around lunch time, so we might want to bring something back with us to the inn. Sound good?”

“I wouldn’t mind.” _I actually do want some of those embercakes…_ _Maybe trying them again would be alright._

* * *

“Well, you guys were gone for a while,” said Nia.

“Howdy, chaps! Missed us?”

“Not really, no…” she said quietly.

Zeke pretends he didn’t hear that as he places a small box of food on the table. “So, what did you managed to find while you were out?”

“Tora found new parts for Poppi! Now snow and dust not put dent in joints,” the young Nopon jumped around in joy.

“We got some food for the trip to wherever we head to next,” said Pandoria.

“Nia also bought some souvenirs for the trip.”

“Well, that’ll help spread word about Tantal. Could use some tourists here after all.”

“Rex is still sleeping. Brighid and I checked on him just a little while ago,” said Azurda.

“The good news is he’s moving in his sleep, so he’s recovering as we speak. But, you can tell that he’s not having a pleasant dream from the look on his face,” said Brighid.

“I see… Well, we don’t have anything else going on between now and tomorrow. We might as well stick around here until he wakes up. He’ll be confused if most of us left him,” Mòrag states.

“Good idea. Now then, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Zeke says as he opens up the box. “Don’t worry, we got some stuff for everyone, so help yourself.”

“Thanks, Shellhead.”

* * *

That night, Mòrag, Zeke, and Nia were all hanging out in the lobby, discussing about what’s next. “…And that’s the gist of it. It’s really difficult for most vehicles to reach the depths of Torna’s base. I’m not sure how they managed to build it, but it’s there anyway,” Nia finished explaining to them why it’s hard to pinpoint Torna’s location.

“Well, I guess we can’t get to them that easily. Seems like a structure made by old Torna,” said Zeke.

“And that also means we can’t mobilize any of the militaries, whether it’s Mor Ardain’s or Uraya’s, to break in,” said Mòrag.

“So now what? We don’t have much time to sit around and draw up plans. Even if Rex is awake, we still have no idea how to get Pyra back,” Nia groans, as she sprawls on the table with her arms out front.

“I’m not sure. For now, we can only wait on Rex.”

“Yeah, I suppose…” Nia fiddles around with a pencil, trying to think. “Say, how long are you guys going to keep this a secret?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Me neither,” said Zeke.

“You know…how you’re *sigh* ‘blushy-crushy’ for each other, as Tora would say.”

“Are you sure? You were pretty knocked ou-“ Zeke was starting to get flustered.

“You two admitted your feelings two nights ago.”

Mòrag’s eyes constricted due to surprise. “…How-“

“My ears aren’t just for looks, you know. Really the only ones that don’t know are Tora, Poppi, Rex, and the other Blades.” Both of their faces were bright red. “Hehe, look at you two. I just mention your little secret and you turn as red as a Gogol. Honestly, it’s pretty cute.”

“C-cute?”

“Yeah. It’s like one of those fairy tales from a while back. Two royals from separate kingdoms fall into a forbidden love.”

“I wouldn’t call it forbidden given how Tantal is about to-“

“Uraya wouldn’t want any of it, now would they?” Nia cuts off Zeke.

“…”

“…”

“See? And you both knew that. I’m not really into politics, but even I know that this would cause some noise all throughout Alrest.”

“We’re keenly aware of that,” said Mòrag, straightening up her collar.

“And if all goes to plan with Elysium, perhaps we won’t have to worry,” said Zeke.

“Are you really sure?” Nia doubts. “Zeke? Mòrag?”

They sat there a little quiet for a minute. “…To tell the truth, no.”

“We could negotiate with Uraya in regards to us, should Elysium not really exist. It’ll be hard, but I think we could do it.”

“I swear sometimes, it’s almost like you’re Rex’s older brother or something. I can’t tell if you’re stupid or just too much of an optimist,” said Nia.

That got a good laugh out of Zeke. “A distant cousin is more likely. But, is it too hard to do?”

“It’s possible. But that would require our relationship to become public knowledge. And…I’d rather have our closest friends and family be aware of our situation,” Mòrag suggests.

“Oh boy… I’m not sure if I’m prepared to see the look on my old man’s face.”

“We can explain it to our relatives once the time is right. Once we leave Tantal and are in a more remote part of Alrest, we should tell everyone in our group,” Mòrag says as she held Zeke’s hand.

“Well it’s you lot’s choice. I can’t have a say in this.”

“Yeah,” Zeke yawned.

“Anyway, I guess it’s about time we hit the bed too. G’night, Nia.”

“Good night, lovebirds. Try not to get caught kissing, yeah?”

“Why are you like this…”

Nia snickers as she went into the girls’ bedroom.

“Relax, she’s only messing with you. She probably hasn’t told anyone. And besides, we should get some rest too,” Mòrag says as she pulls on his arm.

“Yeah. I know she told us not to but…”

“I wouldn’t mind.” They kissed each other goodnight before retiring for the night.

As Mòrag lies in bed, she thinks about her secret love. _I hope that we can find a way for us to live together without the trouble our love might bring._ She looks out the window at the starlit sky peering through the shell of the Titan. She then begins a silent prayer. _Dear Architect up above, I hope my thoughts reach you. Please help Zeke and I have our love be at peace without worrying about others trying to separate us. Help us recover the Aegis and show us a way to bring happier times for Alrest._ “…Amen,” she whispers before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Well I said on Twitter it would be here by the end of next week, so here's a little Valentine's Day surprise. I was originally thinking of splitting it into two chapters, but I felt pretty good about this.  
> -Chapter 15 is mostly going to be the start of Ch. 7 of XB2, so it's probably going to be a shorter chapter.  
> -I was sort of implying that the non-story Blades were at the inn, but I didn't write it originally...  
> -I knew from the start I wanted a moment where Zeke and his dad would start to repair their relationship, so I decided to have them talk near Kallisto's grave. I almost cried writing that, tbh.  
> -Yes, that is indeed the "Open Your Eyes" Heart-to-Heart when Zeke and Mòrag were talking on the balcony. I really like the first option and I like to think that's the canon option (even though both options give the same amount of trust to Pandy/Brighid). It fits their characters a little bit more. It's personally one of my favorite H2Hs.  
> -I like the idea of Zeke taking a stop by his old room prior to leaving Tantal, so I included some stuff he probably had while there (school stuff, favorite books, etc.)  
> -Writing Nia's lines is super fun, because I can make her super sassy. She's always messing with Zeke for the most part, so just them going at each other is just great.  
> -I kind of wanted them to start being a little more intimate with each other, so kisses on the cheek and hand-holding (how lewd). No kisses on the lip just yet.


	15. Reignition

Two days later…

Almost everyone was gathered in the lobby, starting to get worried about Rex. Zeke was leaning his chair against a wall. "Chum was still asleep last time we checked up on him. I hope Jin didn't send the kid into a coma or anything", he whispers. Mòrag sat patiently, but still looked concerned. _Perhaps he just needs to sleep. We left some food for him should he wake up today._

“Rex-Rex still sleeping? It two days now,” said Tora, wanting to see one of his best friends.

“His injuries were quite severe. The worst is over, but his body needs time to recover,” Dromarch reminded him.

“He’d better get well soon, or-“ Nia was cut off by the sound of a door opening and some footsteps. Nia jumps out of her chair. “Rex?!” She looks at what the young salavager was holding. “What’s that?”

“I’m leaving.”

“But…where will you go?”

“Good question. Can’t live on Gramps anymore. Maybe I’ll head to Argentum.”

Azurda was in disbelief. “Rex, you-“

“What the hell are you are you talking about, Argentum?” Nia said as she walked up to Rex. “What about Pyra? Do you know how desperate the situation it? Or have you finally lost it, you idiot?”

“I know, ok? It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I’m done.”

“Done?”

“When I became the Driver of the Aegis, her Driver…I felt like I could do anything. But I was just kidding myself. All I’ve managed to do is hurt her, again and again. So…I’m done.”

He begins to walk off before Nia grabs him. “Oh for crying out loud, Rex! She got herself caught to save you!”

“I know! So what?”

Nia could believe her ears, which stood on end. “SO WHAT?!”

“Those guys are way out of my league. I can’t beat them. It’s hopeless. I understand that now. She’ll be safe with them. They’re not going to hurt her like I do. So I’m leaving.”

Nia was getting frustrated by how he was acting, hissing under her breath.

“I’ve just been kidding myself all along. Me, a Driver? In the end, salvaging is all-“

“You…bloody…IDIOT!” Nia punches Rex into the barrels next to the stairs, making Zeke wince. Rex picks himself off of the ground.

“Hurts, yeah? But that pain’s nothing compared to what Pyra must be feeling right now! She went with those bastards knowing full well how much it would hurt,” Nia said as she held Rex against the wall. “For our sake, not hers!”

“I get it! I know! But what do you want me to do? I couldn’t even slow him down! Even the Artifice’s attack couldn’t touch him. What chance do I have against a guy like that? The more I fight, the more Pyra gets hurt.”

Brighid was about to take action, recognizing how similar these words were to what Pyra said back in Fonsett. “She’ll be…better off without me by her side.” Brighid walks up and slaps Rex’s face. He rubs his face, wondering what was her deal.

“Do you actually mean that? Do you not even have the slightest idea how it felt for her to leave you? Pyra thought you’d be better off if she was dead, did you know that? She is planning to sacrifice herself to defeat them!”

“…”

“You drove her to this, but here you are giving up. You said you’d get her to Elysium, didn’t you? You’ll eat your words, just like that?!” Rex thought about their time together, trying to see if he’s really making the right choice.

“Forget it. We’ll rescue her on our own. This loser…he’s not the Rex we joined up with. Let him go wherever the hell he wants.”

Dromarch gets up from the floor and tries to intervene. “Come now, let’s not start fighting amongst-“

Mòrag holds her hand in front of the tiger. “Let’s get them a chance to work this out…” She turns to look at Zeke. “…shall we?”

 _I didn’t say anything!_ Zeke reacts. _Whatever. Let’s see where this is heading._ He crosses his leg.

“Y’know, I-“

“Nia quite right!” Poppi said as she rose from her chair. She then starts to walk towards Rex angrily. “Rex definitely not behave like himself! Giving up after one loss? That not Rex I know at all!”

“But-“

Poppi holds out her hand in front of his face. “Now is not time for excuses!”

“Poppi!” Tora exclaims. She readies her fist for a punch, prompting Mòrag to stand up and Rex to flinch. But when they thought she was going to hit him, she gently tapped his forehead, before placing her hand on his face.

“P-Poppi?”

“Poppi is hurt to see Rex like this. Poppi and Masterpon are not real Blade and Driver. So Poppi and Masterpon looked up to Rex lots. Rex worked very very hard to get this far. When Rex tries hard, Poppi and Masterpon try hard. Rex like bullseye we aim for. Without Rex, we not know which way to go. So please…Rex cannot give up and stop here,” Poppi cries out.

“Poppi…” Rex curls his hand into a fist and looks at it, reflecting on everything that happened.

As he was thinking, Pandoria ran in to the inn. “My Prince,” she whispers into his ear. She tells him the news from the palace. “Chum!” Zeke speaks up, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Huh?”

“My old man wants to see you. Time to go,” he orders as he was getting up.

“What is it?”

“He’s got something you might want to listen to, so let’s get a move on.”

“O-ok.” _What’s this all of a sudden?_

* * *

The group headed to the palace. In the audience chamber, Eulogimenos sat on his throne. “Are you all right to be up and about?”

Rex nods. “Yeah… I’m all healed up.”

“Sincere apologies. If I hadn’t attempted to destroy the Aegis, they would never have…”

“If you’d done nothing, they’d have come for her anyway. You’re not to blame, Your Majesty. It’s…my fault.”

 _I see._ “Five hundred years ago… This kingdom was rent in twain. Some followed Addam, who sought to live with Blades and Titans as equals. Others opposed him, preferring to consider humans the masters and Titans as our tools. When Addam returned to the ether, his rivals seized power. Leveraging the power of the Omega Fetter, they decided themselves the Tantalese royal dynasty,” Eulogimenos began his history lesson.

“Claiming they were the hero Addam’s descendants.”

“Precisely. My ancestors merely used the name of the beloved Addam in order to win over the people.” He pauses. “Before long, we resolved to protect ourselves from meddlesome foreigners, by descending deep into the Cloud Sea. Taking our dirty secret of our family’s lineage with us. The Praetorium, for their part, did not protest. Can you guess why?”

“No.”

“They offered to stay silent in exchange for a certain resource… An annual tribute…comprising a fixed quantity of Core Chips.” Rex gasps. ”I have something I wish to show you.”

“What is it?” The king signals to the guard to press a button, causing part of the wall to lower, revealing several tubes coursing with a brilliant blue fluid. “What is this?”

“This is Genbu’s ether flow. The Titan draws in the fabric of the Cloud Sea and uses it as a source of energy. This energy flows throughout the Titan’s body in the form of ether. Refining and crystallizing this ether creates Core Chips. This process is what you see before you.”

Mòrag was surprised by this, as most of Mor Ardain’s Core Chips arrived from elsewhere. “So in other words, you’re siphoning away of the Titan’s energy.”

“Our cold climate and poor harvests – they are the unfortunate side effects of this process.”

“I think I’m beginning to understand…” Dromarch began wrapping his brain around the concept.

“Core Chips are vital to every nation’s military and energy policies. The Praetorium desired this power.”

“How come?” Nia asked.

“Alrest at the time was in crisis. But for the Praetorium, it was the chance to expand their sphere of influence. “

“So they…muscled in.”

“As a result, Tantal fell into a chronic energy shortage. Then… Well, you saw for yourselves. Near-frozen earth. Failing crops. The Tantalese people are forced to live in abject poverty.”

“So why not just leave the Cloud Sea? Genbu can move, right? Just go somewhere warmer,” Nia suggests.

“They fear contact with other nations. Too afraid it might expose the truth behind the legends they spun about Addam,” Mòrag theorized.

“That would explain their isolationism,” said Dromarch.

“Indeed. That was five centuries ago. Now the Aegis has awakened, the Praetorium is demanding we hand over the Omega Fetter. They are threatening to reveal our secret if we do not acquiesce.”

“Indol are threatening you?!” said Rex.

“I get it now. That’s what was in the letter,” Zeke deduced.

“Enough was enough! I couldn’t stand by and let the Tantalese people suffer any longer. Therefore, I made a decision.”

“And that’s why you-“

“Yes. I knew there was a chance that the Praetorium would use the Aegis against us. But if I could just neutralize her power, perhaps we would stand a chance of opposing them. And perhaps by saving my people from poverty, I could absolve the sins of my forefathers.”

“You didn’t think about using the Aegis’s power yourself?” asked Nia.

“Wielding such power is beyond my means. I am under no illusions. However, does the same apply to you?” he addresses Rex directly. “I felt something. When I looked in your eyes, I knew. Perhaps you are the one to whom we can entrust the Aegis’s power.”

“Father…”

“In the end it seems I only managed to make things worse. I can blame nothing but my own judgment.” He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out an old book. “This tome records the deeds of the hero Addam. According to this, he saved the world from destruction using a white sword. And then disappeared, along with a red sword.”

“White and red… It must mean Mythra and Pyra’s swords.”

“Whoever wrote this must have had a personal connection to Addam. And most curiously… After Addam disappeared, the author of this book went looking for something.”

“Something?”

“The third Aegis sword.”

“There’s a third?”

“Apparently this sword was as transparent as diamond, and gave off a clear, brilliant light. But Addam went his whole life without using the sword. In fact, he could not use it.”

“What do you mean ‘couldn’t’?” Nia’s ears perked up.

“The sword was simply too powerful. Even he, the legendary hero, could not contain the power it commanded. And thus fearing its power, he sealed it away somewhere. The author therefore surmised…that this sword alone was the one true sword of the Aegis.” This certainly caught Rex’s attention. “Now, Rex. You were defeated by Jin. Doubtless that man is a powerful warrior... But even so, can this be right? Can the Aegis herself truly be outmatched by a single opposing Blade? Would it not make more sense to presume…that you lost because you have yet to unlock the true power of the Aegis?”

“You mean…I’m the one who’s been holding them back…?” He thought to himself on what to do to draw their true power. “Your Majesty! Where is that sword? We have to… We have to find it somehow! We have to find that sword, and rescue Pyra and Mythra!”

“Regrettably, the book, does not specify the sword’s location.”

“But there must be…”

“However, reading between the lines, it seems the author suspected that the sword lies somewhere in Leftheria. It’s not much, but that’s where I would begin the search.”

“In Leftheria…”

“Are you ready?” an elder voice finally spoke up.

“Huh?”

Azurda flew out of Rex’s helmet and hovered before him. “Are you ready to do what it takes to be their true Driver?”

“Gramps?”

“Well? Are you, Rex?”

“Yes! Of course! I’m going to be the Driver that Pyra and Mythra deserve! And then I’m going to take them to Elysium!”

“Then come with me. I’ll show you the way.” Azurda started to fly off out of the chamber prompting everyone to follow. As soon as mostly everyone was out of the room, Eulogimenos said,“My son.” Zeke and Pandoria stopped in their tracks.

“Yeah?”

“I have a favor, to ask of you as your king.”

“Well that’s a first. Are you feeling okay, old man? Maybe you’re coming down with something,” Zeke half jokingly said.

“The Aegis needs… No, rather, the boy needs protection.”

“You mean Rex?”

“Yes. I saw…something in that boy’s eyes. A light that must…never go out.”

“Heh. Steady on, old man. People will get the wrong idea. …Fine. Leave it to me.”

“Thank you.”

“Meh, it’s not like I wasn’t gonna go with him anyway. See ya, pops!” Eulogimenos watched his son and his Blade walked off. “Stay safe, my son,” he said softly.

* * *

On the Tantelese ship to Leftheria, the crew went around making sure everyone is alright and doing some catching up. Zeke and Mòrag spent some time together on the deck while this was happening.

“How are your wounds?” Mòrag asked.

“They healed up quite nicely. I take it you’re not half bad yourself?”

“Unlike you, my injuries are minimal. My neck is doing a lot better than a few days ago.”

“That’s good to hear. Man, this week has been really crazy, hasn’t it?”

“You can say that again. And despite all that happened, we remained focused in our roles. So let’s keep it that way until we rescue the Aegis.”

“Jeez, do you have to put it that seriously?”

“With Pyra and Mythra captured, of course I’m taking my job seriously. We have no idea what Torna is going to do with them, so the quicker we obtain the third sword, the sooner we can save them.”

“I see what you mean. Well, let’s go see what everyone else is up to, shall we?”

“After you. I’m sure Rex would like to see what happened while he was unconscious.”

“Yeah” Zeke opens up the door back into the ship, where everyone else was waiting.

“Well, you two certainly took your time,” Nia teased, with a smug look on her face. Zeke simply glared at her.

“So…what did you guys do over the past few days?” Rex asked them.

“I made sure that we managed to keep inventory on our supplies, which thanks to Nia, Tora, Poppi, and Pandoria, we managed to restock,” Mòrag said.

“Meanwhile, my old man and I kind of started to mend things together. Part of this involves plans I’m not sure if we should say here or not,” Zeke said.

“I think it might be wise if we disclose this information now. The only other person here is the captain of this ship, and he’s busy with his work.”

“Plans? Like what?”

“Well since you’re the Driver of the Aegis and all, I guess it’s ok if we tell you guys what’s up,” said Zeke.

“Tantal is planning on opening up to other nations and we decided that the first step was to establish a route with Mor Ardain,” said Mòrag.

“That’s awesome news! But wait wouldn’t Uraya get upset?”

“We have plans on inviting them to the party. But, well, I’m not sure if bringing Indol in to the deal might be a good idea,” Zeke thought aloud.

“What do you mean?” Nia tilted her head.

“Nia, remember when my dad said Indol was holding something over Tantal?”

“Yeah… Does that have anything to do with it?”

“Probably. I don’t know what else Indol done. I’ve only been there for five years, and Pandy and I mostly did errands. Not really much time to look at Indol’s history specifically.”

“I guess that makes sense. The King didn’t sound happy when he said the Praetor’s name,” Rex said, crossing his arms.

“Say, Rex. What are you going to use until Pyra and Mythra are rescued?”

“I would have to say Roc’s scythes. He’s probably the Blade I have the second most experience with.”

_Wasn’t he with that big Urayan guy? I’ve been meaning to ask Rex, but I’m not sure if now’s a good time. I think I’ve got a good idea what happened, though._

“Sounds about right,” said Nia.

“Friends look! Leftheria dead ahead,” Tora said from the front of the boat.

“Let’s head on over to Fonsett right away.”

“Yeah!”

* * *

They left the harbor and reached the crossroads in front of the village. It was a cloudy day outside, like it would rain any second. “What are we doing here?” Rex asked.

“Did you know Fonsett has another name?” Azurda said, hovering in the air.

“Huh?”

“Hero’s Rest”

“Hero?” Rex gasps. “As in…?”

“Indeed. Fonsett Village was founded by Addam himself at the end of his travels. After the war, Addam charged me with protecting the village.”

“Was this village really that important?”

“What did you think I was protecting?”

“You mean it’s…” “

Follow me.” Azurda flutters off.

“Where does he think he’s going?” Nia wondered.

“Beats me. Only ones here that knows this place like the back of their hand are Rex and Azurda,” Zeke shrugged.

“No time to waste, let’s hurry after him,” Mòrag said.

“Got it.” They walked on over to the hillside across from where they were and climbed up the stairs.

At the top of the hill was a monument with an old pedestal in front of it. The area was lined with trees, still green despite the current season. The monument looked quite ancient, much older than Fonsett Village itself.

Rex wondered why they were brought all the way out here. “The Village Guardian?”

“Just looks like a stone pillar to me,” said Nia.

“They say that the village’s guardian spirit dwells within. Gramps, what are we doing here?”

“Rex, try turning the stone tablet clockwise.”

“This?” He twisted as hard as he can until a mechanism activated, splitting the tablet in two to reveal a characteristic crest. “Huh? This crest, it’s… I’ve seen it before!”

“Place your hand on it.”

“Here goes.” Rex does as he was told, causing the symbol to glow and a small humming sound to ring out. This triggers a reaction and the pillar sinks into the ground, revealing a passageway. “Wh-what’s this?”

“This passage leads into the very center of the archipelago. There lies the cavern known as Spirit Crucible Elpys.”

“That’s quite a name…”

“This entrance and the gate of the Spirit Crucible are sealed in such a way that only a Leftherian can open them.”

“Ahh… So that’s why Jin need me back then!”

”When Addam founded this village, he hid something deep within the body of the Titan that forms the archipelago’s center.”

“You mean the missing sword?”

“Mm… I don’t know how word of it got out, but many were led here by rumors of the legendary sword. More than a few have entered the Spirit Crucible - but none have ever returned.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Nia asked. _What kind of things are in there?_

“Addam wanted to ensure that the sword was securely sealed away. He put many measures in place to stop it falling into the wrong hands. Only the hands of someone worthy. Addam said that taking this sword would be the mark of the Aegis’s true Driver.”

“Their…true Driver…” Rex took that all in.

“What do you say, Rex?”

“I’ll do it. No. I…HAVE to do it. Every moment we waste, Pyra and Mythra could be…” He didn’t want to finish the sentence.

“Then you’re ready for what lies ahead?” Rex nods. “Well then, let us make haste.” The group began their descent into the cavern, aiming for the very center of the archipelago to uncover the legendary sword. What they are unaware of is the dangers that lurk within...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The beginning of one of the best chapters in the game. I really like Chapter 7, since it fully establishes just how tight-nit the party is. They care about each other, which explains why everyone reacted the way they did when Rex was giving up.  
> -I kind of had this chapter finished earlier in the week, but I couldn't find a good time to publish it. Also made a few adjustments here and there.  
> -Eulogimenos's talk with Zeke at the end of that cutscene made me think that he didn't really hate his son, which is why I included that moment in the last chapter.  
> -I am noticing a trend of talks on an airship. Not really an issue, but it's just a pattern I've noticed.  
> -The next chapter is being worked on, but don't expect it soon. Between school and MHRise, things are going to be a little bit busy in March, so I'm going to try to put out at least one chapter.


End file.
